Portrait of a Prince
by Alceon
Summary: Vegeta wakes up to find himself as the King he had always expected himself to be, but how?
1. Chap 1

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters and related copyrighted names of Dragon Ball Z. No money is made and all copyrights apply.  
  
SUMMARY: Ten years after the Majin Buu Saga Vegeta and Goku wake up one morning to find circumstances slightly out of place by about...oh, a couple of million light years.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My knowledge of Dragon Ball Z is not as in depth as I would like so any mistakes are my own. I would appreciate it if my readers would point them out. This fic is set after the Majin Buu Saga, just before the Budokai. PG for a couple of mild swearwords.  
  
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Portrait of a Prince  
  
Upon awakening, and being the perceptive type, Vegeta immediately realized something was wrong. A couple of things actually. Firstly he was alone; it was rare if ever that Bulma rose before him, especially now that he had upped his training for the upcoming Budokai, and this morning she was not in the room and had not been for a long while. Secondly, his bed was too soft and too big. The duvet came close to suffocating him with its expanse and the amount of pillows his head rested on was just ridiculous. Thirdly his four-year-old daughter had not yet jumped on his head to wake him up. The fourth problem was this: he was not on earth. This final realization caused the Saiya-jin princes eyes to pop open in surprise.  
  
It was then that he saw the room he slept in was not his own. It was bigger and more opulently furnished; it was also quite familiar. He had been in a room just like it once, a long time ago when he very young. That room had been his father's room. Vegeta contemplated the implications of this revelation with a frown.  
  
He sat up, pushing aside the enveloping duvet, and heaving himself out of the crevice his body had created in the overly squashy mattress. He wasn't surprise when his bare feet touched a thick and beautifully patterned carpet, which covered the cold stone floor. He was surprised to find he was wearing a thick robe made from some kind of heavy material in a dark burgundy. This above all annoyed Vegeta, being on another planet he could handle but being dressed in a ridiculous looking robe was something else. He had laughed as a child when he had seen his father wearing what he saw as a dress.  
  
Vegeta froze. His father had worn that robe, slept in that bed and....Vegeta felt like laughing at the absurdity of the situation but didn't. He suddenly felt inclined to make as little noise as possible. Levitating into the air a few centimetres he hovered over to the tall window and looked out. What he saw almost sent him to his knees; it certainly made him land back on the ground with a thump. His home, Vegeta- sei, a place he not seen since he was a child and would have counted on never seeing again.  
  
Sensing someone outside the door of the room Vegeta quickly shut his mouth and turned around, fixing his face into a glare for good measure. The Saiya- jin that entered without knocking the prince had never seen before. He was slightly taller than Vegeta with black hair in a short-cropped style, dressed in Saiya-jin armour the man's face could be seen for an instant to wear a cold almost cruel expression before he saw Vegeta and smiled slightly. The smile did not reach the man's eyes. Vegeta scanned the man's power level imperceptibly and found it to be surprisingly low.  
  
"Good morning, my lord," he said, "I trust you slept well." There was no sincerity in the words the man was simply adhering to protocol. Vegeta gave the man a critical look and surmised that the Saiya-jin must be the king's advisor if only from the style of armour he wore. He also had the look; advisors had a reputation for being cruel and merciless. Excessively so.  
  
"My lord?" the advisor questioned when Vegeta's stare went on a little too long.  
  
"Clothes," the Saiya-jin prince snapped, "Now."  
  
"As you wish, my lord," the advisor replied smoothly. He snapped his fingers and immediately two female Saiya-jins entered carrying between them royal armour including a cloak and the blue medallion of office. Vegeta looked at the armour with a small flash of dread. He had grown used to wearing just a jumpsuit or sweats for training and rarely if ever wore armour anymore. For all its advantages it was uncomfortable.  
  
The women put down the armour then walked towards him. It took Vegeta split second to realize they intended to dress him.  
  
"You may go," he said shortly and forcefully. The woman looked momentarily puzzled but left without a word. The Saiya-jin prince fixed his advisor with a glare that indicated the order had included him. The advisor gave a condescending smile and left with a bow.  
  
Left alone Vegeta resisted the urge to break something. His frustration was not only at the situation but also at his supposed advisor. He had only known the man, in his own experience, for a few minutes but he already had the urge smash his face in, if only to erase that contemptuous smile off his face.  
  
Vegeta considered his options, as he got dressed instead. Somehow, he didn't really care how at this point, he had found himself on Vegeta-sei as king of the Saiya-jins. His birthright and a future that would have come to pass if not for Frieza and the destruction of the planet. He wondered whether Frieza had been defeated or of he simply had not existed in this, Vegeta paused in thought, dimension? Time line?  
  
Either way events had gone as he had always assumed they would before Frieza had taken him. He was king and the Saiya-jin race was alive and thriving. Did that mean, as he assumed it would, that his father was dead? How else could he be king? A Saiya-jin king would rather die than abdicate. This brought another train of thought into focus, was he still a father? Did Trunks and Bra exist in this timeline? He doubted it as this timeline's Vegeta; he already thought of himself as different from the person he was trapped as; had never met Bulma.  
  
He doubted he had even been to earth. Vegeta stopped in the act of pulling on a boot, wondering if the Kakarot in this timeline was on earth. And if so, had he carried out the mission he had originally been sent there for or had he also had his programming erased by a head injury. The former would mean earth would be under the control of the Saiya-jin Empire and the inhabitants would have been purged. The latter could mean the same thing, only Kakarot would have been executed for his failure and other Saiya-jins would have completed his mission. If this had not happened yet Vegeta knew it would shortly. The king would want to know why the earth had not been claimed yet. The king, Vegeta thought, which would be me.  
  
The Saiya-jin prince wondered at how even though he had been trained and groomed to take this position since birth it didn't feel right. The Vegeta who would have taken the throne was not the man he was in his own timeline. Vegeta knew this and was comfortable enough with his new life to admit it.  
  
Vegeta picked up the blue medallion and ran a thumb over the shiny surface. The blue stone in centre was a rare and precious stone only found on the planet of the first Vegeta-Sei, now gone. The medallion was the only piece of the planet that was left. The last piece of the Saiya-jins' true past. Vegeta wondered as he put the chain around his neck what kind of people they had been before the bitterness of their planets destruction had settled on them like a black shroud.  
  
Vegeta steeled himself mentally before exited the bedroom, realizing fully that he was in a potentially dangerous situation. Acting out of character would arouse suspicion and the Saiya-jins were not known for their stupidity. Immediately upon exited his room Vegeta found himself in the private chambers of the king. At each side of the doors leading from the throne room and the other doors leading to the royal dining room were guards. Tall, muscular Saiya-jins each wearing the armour of the royal guards and with acceptably high power levels. Vegeta gave a smirk as he realized that he was probably at his current power level beyond any of their ability to even comprehend.  
  
The guards paid him no mind as he walked through the doors into the dining room thinking some breakfast could only brighten his situation. He was half right with his only gripe being that there was no coffee. He made the mistake of asking for some before he could stop himself and received some odd stares. Of course there would be no coffee, he berated himself afterward.  
  
The food he received could have fed an army and he made a serious dent in it. Just as he was finishing his breakfast his advisor came in. The man paused to speak to the guards and Vegeta watched the exchange intently hoping to gain some information on the abhorrent advisor. He narrowed his eyes briefly as he heard the guard call him Counsellor Ranorik and stored the information away. At least he now knew the man's name.  
  
As Ranorik approached Vegeta preoccupied himself with wiping his mouth on a napkin forcing the man to catch his attention by saying, "Excuse me, my lord?" It was the little things, Vegeta knew, that would attract the attention of a man like Ranorik.  
  
Vegeta looked at him with an impatient glare, which he did not have to fake, he found the man annoying.  
  
"My lord," the advisor started with the same small, insincere smile he had used before, "When you are ready there are matters that need to be addressed."  
  
"Of course, Ranorik," he said using the man's name purposefully. To Vegeta's immense surprise the advisor looked astonished that Vegeta knew his name.  
  
You're behind this, the Saiya-jin prince thought, or at least involved in some way.  
  
Vegeta stood and headed toward the throne room where he knew he would be expected to address whichever matters the advisor had deemed worthy of his attention. He also knew that once he was done with that it was acceptable for him to train for the rest of the day. He would use this for pretence to gain a little privacy in order to figure out what was going on.  
  
The throne room was quite small as matters that required the king's attention were usually resolved very quickly, generally with a few harsh words. There was no need for a court or tribunal in Saiya-jin autonomy. Vegeta sat on the throne with an odd feeling of displacement, the feeling only served to irritate him even more and by the time Ranorik told him of the first article for his attention he was in a foul mood. It did not however distract him from the advisors words and he listened intently hoping for a clue as to his situation.  
  
"First, milord," Ranorik said indicating a Saiya-jin who knelt before the throne, "The issue of the traitor."  
  
Vegeta raised an eyebrow at the man kneeling before him, "The traitor?" he questioned.  
  
Ranorik followed his gaze, "Oh," he said, "No my lord, that is not the traitor. I refer to the failure of the son of Bardock to claim earth."  
  
Vegeta's head whipped around to stare at the advisor, "Kakarot?" he asked careful to keep his tone uninterested.  
  
"Yes," Ranorik replied, "I assume he is to be executed?"  
  
Vegeta thought quickly, "No, I wish to speak to the man who thinks he can defy his orders," he said choosing his words carefully.  
  
"My lord?" Ranorik was clearly not pleased with this answer.  
  
"Bring him before me," Vegeta commanded.  
  
Ranorik's mouth tightened, but he said, "Very well," gesturing to the guard who knelt before the throne to carry out the order. The man scurried off.  
  
"And what of his mission, Lord Vegeta?" Ranorik asked his voice harbouring a tinge of contempt.  
  
"We shall disregard earth," Vegeta told him, silently revelling in the expression that appeared on his advisor's face, "We don't know what happened to this Kakarot that made him forget his mission. It may very well have been one of the inhabitants that did it. I do not want that happening to any more of my soldiers."  
  
"The soldier claims he hit his head on a rock," Ranorik told him with an exasperated look.  
  
Vegeta placed two fingers over his lips to keep from laughing, "And you believe him?" he said after a moment.  
  
"But scans show that the inhabitants of earth are weak," his advisor argued.  
  
Vegeta lost his patience, "Are you questioning my orders?" he snapped.  
  
The advisor looked taken aback, "No my lord," he managed to get out. He bowed his head but Vegeta could see his emotions clearly upon his face before he could hide them. Frustration, anger and hatred.  
  
Vegeta stood, "Have the traitor brought to my chambers," he said before striding out the throne room and into his private chambers. Upon arriving he dismissed the guards and sat on one of the many cushioned armchairs in the room. As he had suspected Ranorik followed him in after a moment.  
  
"Do you think this wise my lord?" he asked.  
  
Vegeta glared at the annoying man, "What I think is hardly any of your concern," he snapped, "If you question my orders again I will have you executed."  
  
Ranorik's jaw dropped in surprise and Vegeta wondered what had made the man think he could behave thus. He locked eyes with the advisor with an expression, which clearly said without words: I am not weak, what ever you may believe.  
  
Ranorik looked away abruptly fighting to keep his emotions under control. Vegeta watched the man's internal struggle with interest wondering what made him believe he could get away with such insubordination. The advisor was taking liberties and trying to sway the Saiya-jin prince's decisions in a way no advisor to a Saiya-jin king would have dared. Ranorik clearly knew the king was not the man he had been before and thought the 'new' king weak for some reason.  
  
Vegeta turned his attention to the door as he felt the guard return. A second later Ranorik also looked up as the door opened and the guard entered leading a confused looking Goku. The younger Saiya-jin wore a plain shirt and pants in a dull grey material, which all prisoners wore. Upon seeing Vegeta the younger Saiya-jin grinned and opened his mouth to speak.  
  
"Silence," Vegeta snapped to keep Goku from saying anything stupid. His rival frowned but kept quiet.  
  
"You may go," the Saiya-jin prince told the guard then looked pointedly at Ranorik.  
  
"My lord, I must protest!" Ranorik said, looking appalled, "This man is dangerous!"  
  
"So am I," Vegeta ground out, "Especially when I'm angry. You would want to make me angry, now would you?" The words were civil enough but the Saiya- jin prince's tone promised imminent violence.  
  
Ranorik paled then set his face in a look of barely concealed dislike, "As you wish," he sneered before leaving.  
  
As the door closed Vegeta turned and looked at Goku.  
  
"What's your name?" he demanded.  
  
Goku looked mystified, "You know my name Vegeta, it's Goku," he said a little uncertainly.  
  
Vegeta nodded, "Just making sure," he said then frowned, "I don't suppose you know how we got here?"  
  
Goku shrugged helplessly, "Nope," he told him, "I just woke up in a cold cell. I tried to get out but they're really strong," he added sounding impressed.  
  
"They're designed for Saiya-jin's," Vegeta commented blandly.  
  
Goku chuckled sheepishly, "Yeah," he agreed, "So now what?"  
  
"Now we get the hell out of here," Vegeta told him frankly.  
  
"You want to leave?" Goku sounded disappointed.  
  
Vegeta gave his friend a guarded look, "You don't?" he wanted to know.  
  
Goku looked down uncomfortably, "Well, I've never seen my home before," he said, "It's an opportunity I never thought I'd get."  
  
"Kakarot they want to execute you," Vegeta said dryly, "And my supposed advisor is conspiring to get rid of me, in fact I think he's somehow behind this. And you want to stay?" He couldn't help but sound a little disbelieving.  
  
"Ah, come on Vegeta," Goku said with a grin, "They couldn't kill me if they tried."  
  
Vegeta lost his patience, "Must you be an idiot all your life?" he snapped, "There are thousands of Saiya-jins out there," he pointed to the window, "All of them trained warriors. You may be a hundred times stronger than all of them but they out match both us in mere numbers. There's just too many."  
  
Goku made a face, "It's not like you to be pessimistic," he pointed out.  
  
"I'm being realistic, Kakarot," Vegeta growled, "This isn't your life anymore, this isn't my life anymore!" he reached up and yanked the blue medallion off of around his neck, then hurled it across the room. It hit a full-length mirror in the corner, causing it to shatter. The medallion landed on the floor undamaged.  
  
"Shit," Vegeta muttered as Goku eyed him warily. A second later a dozen guards burst through the double doors of the anteroom lead by Ranorik. If Vegeta hadn't been so furious he might have wondered why a man with such a low power level would rush head long into a room that held a man he considered to be dangerous.  
  
The Saiya-jin prince held up a hand, "Hold!" he said firmly. The guards immediately stood to attention but the advisor rushed up to him.  
  
"I said as much-," he started angrily.  
  
Vegeta scowled and backhanded him across the face. Ranorik didn't, as the prince had expected, fly across the room but instead dropped to one knee cradling his bruised face with one hand. He looked up at Vegeta in shock.  
  
"How dare you?" the Saiya-jin prince hissed, "Speak to me in that tone again and you will be executed!"  
  
Ranorik seemed to be struggling with something, "But..." he trailed and gritted his teeth making a visible effort to regain control, "Yes, my lord," he managed eventually getting to his feet slowly.  
  
"Dismissed," Vegeta said lowly. The guards immediately left the room but Ranorik followed a little more slowly his expression barely hiding his contempt. Goku looked at Vegeta with a frown.  
  
"Did you hold back?" he asked referring to the punch.  
  
The Saiya-jin prince shook his head, "He's stronger than he lets on," he said.  
  
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Please read and review. I would appreciate feedback as to whether or not I should continue. Thanks :) 


	2. Chap 2

A/N: Wow, I don't think I've ever received so many reviews for a fanfic before. Thanks to all that took the time to respond. As someone pointed out there are a few things in this story that don't quite adhere to the facts. I must admit that I took liberties with some things for the sake of a good story, or at least an original concept. I hope this doesn't detract from your enjoyment of the story. Thanks again, I will definitely be updating about once or twice a week (usually on the weekend).  
  
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Vegeta walked over to the shattered mirror aware of Goku's curious gaze on his back. He chose to ignore it.  
  
"This is going to raise questions," he commented picking up the blue medallion from amongst the shards of broken glass. He studied it for a moment then placed it carefully on the wooden table in the centre of the room.  
  
"I guess we should go," Goku said glumly his shoulders sagging in defeat.  
  
Vegeta gave him an annoyed look, "Well now that we have your permission," he said sarcastically then paused, "But then again, perhaps we should stay," the prince sounded thoughtful.  
  
Goku looked up in surprise and tried not look hopeful, "What do you mean?"  
  
Vegeta's look of irritation returned with a scowl, "As I said before I believe Ranorik, the counsellor," he added at Goku's questioning look, "To be behind this somehow. It's the only clue we have to figuring this out."  
  
Goku made a valiant effort to contribute to the prince's line of thought, "So you want to watch him and hope he slips up and gives us more clues?" he suggested.  
  
Vegeta gave the younger Saiya-jin a strange look, "No, I want to beat the crap out of him until he owns up," he said matter-of-factly.  
  
"Oh," Goku said.  
  
"But first you need to escape," Vegeta told him.  
  
Goku frowned but, before he could ask why, Vegeta gave a smirk and ran a gloved finger over his own throat in a rare show of humour.  
  
"Oh," Goku said again.  
  
"Find somewhere to lay low until I've kicked the truth out of Ranorik," Vegeta said, "Then I'll find you."  
  
Goku nodded in agreement, "Okay how do I escape?"  
  
Vegeta tried not to lose his patience and gave sigh, which came out as more of a growl, "Instant transmission," he pointed out exasperatedly.  
  
Goku shook his head with a sigh of own, this one dejected, "I already tried that, when I was in the cells," he shrugged, "It doesn't work."  
  
Vegeta's face fell, "Why not?" he demanded mentally kicking himself for not considering why Goku hadn't used his special technique before.  
  
"I don't know," Goku returned defensively, "It just doesn't."  
  
Vegeta clenched his fists and resisted the urge to smash something else. It occurred to him, not for the first time, that temper tantrums had a certain appeal despite the lack of dignity. He made a supreme effort to calm down.  
  
"Okay," he said in a precise voice, "We'll find another way." He walked over to the second story window and peered downward through the glass. As he had expected there was a guard below it.  
  
Not a problem, he thought, Kakarot can handle one guard.  
  
He looked from side to side then looked from side to side again, this time harder. The side of the building was lined, literally, with dozens of guards. Vegeta scanned their power levels swiftly and was dismayed and puzzled at how powerful they were. They were stronger than he himself had been when he had first arrived on earth.  
  
The prince turned away from the window seething with sudden anger. The presence of so many guards could only indicate that they were not there to make sure no one got in but instead to make sure he didn't leave. This was worse than the gown.  
  
Vegeta looked at Goku trying to keep his emotions off his face. Apparently he failed because the younger Saiya-jin's face hardened in an expression that the prince knew one would only see on his face if things were serious.  
  
"There's something very strange going on here," Vegeta muttered, he looked hard at his rival, "Besides your instant transmission is there anything else you can't do?"  
  
"I don't know. I haven't tried anything else," Goku said, "What are you thinking?"  
  
Vegeta thought furiously then shook his head, "This whole situation is a mess," he growled half to himself. The prince eyed Goku again, "How do you feel?"  
  
"Hungry," Goku answered immediately then backed off slightly from the expression that appeared on Vegeta's face, "But aside from that, um..." he thought about it, "Misplaced."  
  
Vegeta raised an eyebrow at this succinct assessment of his feelings, "Yes," he agreed, "And uncomfortable."  
  
Goku nodded, "Almost like I'm not myself," he added thoughtfully.  
  
A long silence fell, as the two Saiya-jins were suddenly busy with their own thoughts. Anybody watching the two would have seen Goku's face suddenly take on an extremely pensive look while Vegeta would be seen to develop a twitch in one eye.  
  
"I suppose," Goku started slowly, "Just because we're here doesn't mean our bodies are."  
  
Vegeta stopped rubbing his eye and gave Goku a surly look, "What? My mind in another persons body?" the prince looked vaguely repulsed by the idea.  
  
"Not another person," Goku corrected, "Another you in another timeline." He was clearly in crisis thinking mode.  
  
Vegeta started to object to this but stopped. The idea had merit, "It would explain why you can't use your instant transmission," he admitted reluctantly, "But," he added, "This king would still have his tail and he doesn't."  
  
Goku looked surprised, "You're right neither do I," he said.  
  
"Yes, but you're a traitor, they would have cut yours off," Vegeta pointed out.  
  
Goku looked aghast, "Really?" he said, "Maybe this king also lost his tail?"  
  
The prince opened his mouth to reply that a king without a tail would be weak and therefore would never be accepted then snapped it shut as he sensed someone out side the door, he didn't have to guess who it was. A second later Ranorik entered in a self-important manner, a determined expression on his face.  
  
Goku had also looked toward the door at the same time and upon seeing the counsellor didn't change his expression, which was locked in an intent, challenging look. Vegeta treated Ranorik to a particularly effective glare. The advisor seemed to hesitate under these two gazes then strode in purposefully.  
  
"The prisoner must return to his cell now, my lord," Ranorik told him his gaze flickering briefly to the smashed mirror in the corner.  
  
"I will decide-," Vegeta started acidly.  
  
"On the contrary, you should not concern yourself with such trivial matters," Ranorik cut in smoothly, "Perhaps you'd care for some lunch?"  
  
Vegeta stared. The man's tone was so inconceivably condescending that for a moment the prince thought he had imagined it. Goku started to edge away from Vegeta in a manner that one would edge away from a red cylindrical object with a fizzing fuse.  
  
"How dare-," he started again his tone a great deal more menacing this time.  
  
"Or perhaps a nap?" Ranorik interrupted with a smile. He allowed his tail to uncurl from around his waist, a subconscious indication that Vegeta or Goku did not threaten him in the least.  
  
Vegeta was at a loss. He'd never encountered such behaviour from a so obviously inferior person. He felt his fury begin to rise and welcomed it. With anger came power and at that moment to didn't give a damn about the implications of attacking the advisor. All he wanted was to wipe that smug, arrogant-.  
  
Vegeta stopped. The prince had come, over his many years as a warrior, to expect and welcome the spike in his Ki and power levels whenever he grew recklessly angry, which was often. Like now, the only difference being that his power levels weren't rising or at least not in the margins he had grown used to. The jump in his power level was pitiful.  
  
The Saiya-jin prince growled in frustration and focussed on his Ki, now purposely concentrating on powering up. Failing this, with a flash of something akin to panic, he tried to go Super Saiya-jin. Nothing happened.  
  
This can't be, Vegeta thought wildly, I would have sensed if I were weaker. Suddenly Goku's words from earlier echoed around his head. Another you in another timeline. Of course the power level of this body would feel no different in this timeline. Ranorik wasn't pretending to be weaker than he was after all; he was simply equal to the king. Goku looked at Vegeta in confusion with just a touch of alarm.  
  
Ranorik observed Vegeta's internal struggle with an amused expression. The Saiya-jin prince's face contorted with rage as he saw this.  
  
"I know you're behind this!" he spat, "If you don't give me answers right now, so help me Kami-."  
  
"You're in no position to be making demands," Ranorik interrupted coldly. The counsellor looked at him with distaste, "You want to know why? Fine, I suppose there's no harm in telling you now. As you can see," he smirked, "Our great king is in fact pitifully weak, something which I consider to be a disgrace."  
  
"A weak king would never be tolerated," Vegeta retorted forgetting that he was in essence talking about himself.  
  
"And nor should he be," Ranorik agreed, "But our king is merciless and cruel and for this the people love him. To be strong in mind can excuse being weak in body. After all a king has soldiers to be strong for him."  
  
Vegeta narrowed his eyes but said nothing. Goku was giving the advisor a wary look.  
  
Ranorik continued, "But what if the king were weak in both body and mind? What if the king's mind were replaced by that of a weaker, softer version of itself? The people would quickly call for his death," the counsellor smiled to himself as if revelling in the brilliance of his own plan.  
  
"I AM NOT WEAK!" Vegeta roared in fury.  
  
Ranorik's face fell, "No," he said in hard tones, "Not as much as I would have hoped. I believed you were the perfect candidate to switch with the king. I believed your time spent on earth had weakened you, what with your," Ranorik sneered, "Happy little family. You even helped save that pitiful planet!"  
  
Vegeta's mind had switched off half way through the advisor's speech. He felt cold, "Switch?" he repeated.  
  
Ranorik ignored him, "But it hasn't worked," he muttered half to himself, then he brightened, "Not that it matters. It seems you have given me an alternative."  
  
"You said swit..." Vegeta trailed off and narrowed his eyes as the advisor's words registered with his brain, "What alternative?"  
  
Ranorik grinned maliciously, "Well you're a traitor aren't you, my dear king," he sneered, "Consorting with a prisoner, plotting against your own advisor and even helping the prisoner to escape."  
  
Vegeta's rage subsided marginally to make some space for confusion, "What?" he said a bit stupidly. He understood the words but the sentences didn't seem to compute with the royal superiority that made up much of Vegeta's personality.  
  
"Guards!" Ranorik barked not taking his gaze off the Saiya-jin prince's face.  
  
It was only then that Vegeta realized with some amazement that the advisor intended to have him arrested.  
  
Goku had been watching the exchange between his friend and Ranorik closely and decided that it was time he intervened. The look of outrage on Vegeta's face as half a dozen Saiya-jin guards burst into the room was one he had never seen before. The Saiya-jin prince was beyond furious, Goku would have taken bets that he was literally looking at the world through red. He seemed to have ascended to a new level of anger.  
  
Vegeta also looked ready to attack all six guards and Ranorik with his bare hands despite evidence that he was no match for them.  
  
Many considered Goku to be stupid and evidence did point to this conclusion however there were times when he could think pretty quickly. It was probably a survival tactic. Between the revelation of Vegeta's lack of power and this moment he had reached a few conclusions. Firstly the fact that Vegeta-sei existed in this timeline meant that Frieza and the Kold Empire probably hadn't.  
  
Secondly, this meant that this Goku had not fought Frieza and had thus not attained Super Saiya-jin status. This Goku had been taken off of Earth by the Saiya-jins and imprisoned. Possibly by Radditz then again possibly not. This Goku was at the level he had been when he fought Radditz, roundabouts anyway.  
  
Thirdly, if all this was true, he and Vegeta were no match for the hundreds of Saiya-jin guards, especially not the curiously strong ones lining the walls outside. The one's that wanted to arrest and probably execute them.  
  
Having reached a conclusion Goku wasted no time. He powered up, grabbed Vegeta, who was advancing on the guards with his fists clenching and unclenching convulsively, by the upper arm and flew out the window. He didn't bother to open it first.  
  
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What did you think? I was in a strange mood when I wrote this chapter so it came out a bit humorous. Some parts might portray Vegeta or Goku a bit OOC but I liked this chapter so I'll post it anyway. I hope I get as much of a response as I did for the last one. Thanks:)  
  
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	3. Chap 3

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Goku watched Vegeta with a mixture of worry, amusement and apprehension. After crashing headlong through the window of the palace with Vegeta in tow, the Saiya-jin prince had yanked his arm away from Goku furiously declaring that he was perfectly capable of flying by himself thank you very much and had promptly tried to go back.  
  
Eventually Goku got him to see reason, or rather the dozens of guards flying toward them had, and the two had flown at full speed to the relative safety of the middle of nowhere. There they had landed in a clearing in the dense forest, which circumvented the royal compound for miles around, and Vegeta had had a rant. He went on about the nerve of the advisor in particular and stupidity of the situation in general. The rant ended with Vegeta punching a boulder and, while smashing it to pieces, failing to disintegrate it as he had come to expect.  
  
The Saiya-jin prince had gone very quiet after that and had sat down cross- legged on the ground but Goku could practically feel him seething from metres away. The younger Saiya-jin stood and watched him; on occasion he would scan the skies.  
  
"They'll be looking for us," Goku pointed out after a few minutes.  
  
Vegeta glared at him but did stand up and glance in the direction they had come from, "I don't get it," he fumed, "How did he do it? How did he even know I existed?"  
  
Goku shrugged, "Maybe he used the Dragonballs," he suggested.  
  
"It's possible," Vegeta agreed looking around at the trees with a faint frown, "But what was his wish? 'Take the weakest version of the king and switch him with-,'" He stopped and shook his head violently, "And he said switch," he muttered, "That means this version of me is in my body back home."  
  
"Me too?" Goku wanted to know looking worried.  
  
"I suppose..." Vegeta trailed off with a frown, "Wait a minute, I understand why Ranorik switched me but why you?"  
  
Goku thought about it, "I don't know," he said eventually.  
  
"He'd have no use for you," Vegeta went on, "He himself said the plan to make me out to be a traitor only occurred to him when he heard us talking."  
  
"It doesn't make any sense," Goku agreed looking at the skies again.  
  
Vegeta followed his gaze, "See something?" he asked.  
  
"Not yet," Goku replied.  
  
"They'll find us eventually," the Saiya-jin prince said, "We can't afford to hide out in the wilderness for too long, we need to get home if what Ranorik said about being switched is true. And he seems to be the only one who knows what's going on."  
  
"You want to go back?" Goku raised an eyebrow.  
  
"What choice do we have?" Vegeta asked rhetorically, "But we need to get Ranorik alone."  
  
Goku nodded then frowned looking intently at the trees around them. Vegeta mimicked him almost exactly also feeling the presence. They shared a glance but before they could fly away from the perceived threat a person stepped into the clearing.  
  
Vegeta corrected his initial conclusion, not a person, a child. A young Saiya-jin child, no older than ten years. The boy gave them a critical look expressing the arrogance Saiya-jins were born with. Vegeta was surprised to see his clothes were old and tattered and he needed a bath, desperately.  
  
"You're the king," the child observed. He looked at Goku down his nose, "And you're a prisoner."  
  
"Hey there," Goku said crouching down and enacting the pantomime that all people adopt when talking to young children. This however was not an ordinary child but a Saiya-jin.  
  
The child ignored him and looked at Vegeta instead, "They're looking for you," he said conversationally, "They say you attacked your advisor when he tried to stop you from helping a prisoner to escape." The boy glanced at Goku as he said this.  
  
Vegeta smirked, "I actually wish that first bit were true," he said flippantly, "Who are you?" he demanded.  
  
"I don't have to tell you, you're a traitor," the boy shot back.  
  
Vegeta glared at him, "You do if you don't want to spend the rest of the day looking for your arms," he said matter-of-factly.  
  
The boy paled slightly but didn't look away. A true Saiya-jin, "Fine," he said as if he'd made the decision with out being swayed by imminent pain, "My name is Kaarn."  
  
"I'm Goku and this is Vegeta," Goku introduced himself.  
  
"I know his name," Kaarn said scathingly referring to the Saiya-jin prince, "We may live in the middle of no where but we're not stupid." The boy frowned, "Your name doesn't sound Saiya-jin."  
  
"His name is Kakarot," Vegeta told him.  
  
"Then why'd he say it was Goku," the boy demanded.  
  
"Because it is," Goku interjected.  
  
"Is there something wrong with you?" Kaarn looked at Goku with his arms crossed.  
  
"Yes, he's an idiot," Vegeta told him impatiently, "Look, what are you doing out here. Did you run away from the city?"  
  
Kaarn ignored Goku's attempts to explain and gave Vegeta a strange look, "I live out here with my parents, in the encampment," he said as if it were obvious.  
  
The Saiya-jin prince frowned, "What encampment?" he demanded.  
  
"The slave encampment," Kaarn said impatiently, "For the mines remember?"  
  
"There're no mines out here, they're all near the city," Vegeta said shortly.  
  
The boy gave him a suspicious look, "And he's the stupid one," he pointed at Goku who frowned, "Not the mines for armour materials," Kaarn explained, "The Amon mines."  
  
Vegeta felt himself getting irritated, "We don't mine Amon, it's a soft useless metal," he snapped.  
  
Kaarn laughed, "Not exactly mister current affairs are you?" he said, "We don't make anything with it, we trade with it."  
  
Vegeta stared at him, "You're serious," he said after a long moment.  
  
Kaarn looked at Goku in confusion who was looking just as baffled.  
  
"Of course," Kaarn said a little uncertainly. Mount Vegeta was showing signs of eruption, "You didn't know?"  
  
"I am sure your king is very aware of any trade agreements," Vegeta spat.  
  
"Er, Vegeta?" Goku started, "Is something wrong?"  
  
"Yes, dammit!" Vegeta suddenly yelled, "I'm stuck in a weak body on a Vegeta-sei with a weak king who lowers himself to trading with other planets!"  
  
"The Saiya-jins don't trade?" Goku wanted to know.  
  
"Of course not!" Vegeta snapped, "Why pay for something you can just take?"  
  
"Oh," said Goku looking down.  
  
Vegeta let his lip curl derisively, "Don't you dare go righteous on me," he said lowly.  
  
"Excuse me?" Kaarn said hesitantly. To Vegeta's surprise he raised his hand.  
  
The Saiya-jin prince simmered down a little, "What?"  
  
"What did you mean by all that stuff?" the boy asked, "You make it sound like you're not the king."  
  
"I'm not," Vegeta told him shortly.  
  
Kaarn regained some of his brashness, "Well you sure look like him," he pointed out.  
  
Vegeta glared at the boy but didn't say anything. Instead he looked down at the armour he wore. It was simpler than combat armour, without upper arm or leg guards. But the chest piece, gauntlets and hip guards were all there covering a dark grey tunic. Attached to shoulders was a long dark red cloak and around his waist was a red sash the same colour as the cloak. The sash was there to cover and protect the tail during a fight and was only on this armour for emblematic reasons.  
  
Vegeta paused then started to take the armour off.  
  
Goku and Kaarn looked taken aback, "What are you doing?" the former asked in confusion.  
  
"The boys right, I look like the king in this armour," the Saiya-jin prince explained taking off the cloak and sash and pulling off the gauntlets, "Without it I could be anyone."  
  
"But you look like the king," Goku argued.  
  
"No, people only know I'm the king because of the armour and the medallion," Vegeta said impatiently unbuckling his chest plate letting it fall to the ground, "Most of the guards looking for us have never seen me in... him in the flesh," he corrected himself, "Seen the king in the flesh. Without this armour they'll never recognise me."  
  
Kaarn nodded, "I only thought you were the king from your armour," he supplied.  
  
Without the armour Vegeta was left wearing a long sleeved dark grey tunic and black leggings with gold toed white boots. The Saiya-jin prince looked relieved to the have the armour off and scratched the back of his neck where the back plate had rubbed him. He looked at Goku critically.  
  
"And you look just like a prisoner," he said.  
  
Goku looked down at his grey loose fitting pant and top with bare feet. He scratched the back of his head characteristically.  
  
"I could get you a change of clothes," Kaarn offered Goku, "By dad is about the same size as you."  
  
Goku nodded slowly, "How far is the encampment?" he wanted to know.  
  
"Not far," Kaarn said, "I'll be back before dark."  
  
"All right," Vegeta agreed, "But if you tell a soul about us you'll wish you were never born."  
  
Kaarn sobered suddenly, "More than usual you mean," he muttered half to himself, "I promise I won't," he said before taking off into the trees.  
  
Vegeta watched him go with a deep frown, "Saiya-jin slaves," he muttered half to himself.  
  
"No slaves?" Goku asked sounding as if this redeemed their race in a small way.  
  
"Anyone weak enough to accept being a slave was killed off," Vegeta corrected him bluntly, "We have...had miners but they still had their honour."  
  
"Stubborn pride is more like it," Goku muttered to himself.  
  
Vegeta heard but merely smirked to himself. While the two Saiya-jins waited for the boy to return Vegeta got rid of the armour why blasting it with a ball of Ki. This raised his spirits somewhat. When Kaarn returned a few hours later the sun had just set and darkness was falling quickly over the land. The boy had brought blue jumpsuit and armoured vest with gold reinforcement and white gold tipped boots, not unlike the armour Vegeta had worn when fighting Frieza. Goku looked a bit appalled by the jumpsuit and gave the Saiya-jin prince's outfit a speculative look. Vegeta smirked as he realized what the younger Saiya-jin was thinking and pointed out that the armour would not fit him and the clothes the Saiya-jin prince wore would be too small for Goku. The younger Saiya-jin gave a sigh and donned the tight armour; he then destroyed the grey prison uniform.  
  
"It's my dad's old armour," Kaarn explained.  
  
Vegeta looked at the boy, "How did your father become a slave?" he asked.  
  
"He failed the test," Kaarn said darkly, "His power level wasn't high enough."  
  
"Test?" Vegeta looked disgusted.  
  
"The king tested people at random to find weaker one's to work the mine," the boy explained scuffing the ground with his toe violently.  
  
Vegeta swore under his breath and Goku looked at Kaarn sympathetically.  
  
"Alright," Vegeta looked at the sky where the stars were just beginning to become visible, "You should go home now."  
  
"Where are you going?" Kaarn demanded to know.  
  
"Back to the compound," Vegeta told him shortly and looked set to take off into the night.  
  
"I'll come with you," Kaarn said suddenly.  
  
Vegeta snorted, "Go home," he repeated.  
  
"Why should I?" the boy wanted to know.  
  
"Vegeta's right," Goku told him, "You should go home, it's too dangerous. Thank-you for your help."  
  
The two Saiya-jins took off and flew in the direction they had come earlier that afternoon. Kaarn watched them disappear into the dark night sky with a heated expression on his young face.  
  
Goku looked over at Vegeta as they flew, "How are we going to get inside?" he asked the older Saiya-jin.  
  
"Through the cooling system," Vegeta told him, "There's an underground river that runs beneath the compound. We...they have machinery that pumps in up through metal piping though out the palace. In winter the water is heated."  
  
"How big are the pipes?" Goku wanted to know.  
  
"Not big enough for us, but we only need to get into the plant," Vegeta replied a little impatiently, "There's a reservoir that the water is pumped into initially to regulate it's temperature."  
  
"Won't it be guarded?"  
  
"Of course," Vegeta said with a smirk.  
  
They flew to the mountains behind the compound, giving the palace a wide birth, and found the river that Vegeta was talking about. Following it to the point where it disappeared under ground they found the caves and caverns it had worn through erosion. The split in the rock was just big enough to allow the two Saiya-jins to follow the river underground though Goku had a slightly harder time of it.  
  
Underground it was dank and dark and the air was hard to breathe through the stench of damp and moss. They powered up slightly to emit some light at first but as they drew closer to the compound they had to suppress their Ki to avoid detection. After that they had to rely on their ears to follow the sound of the running water as it rushed beside them through the enclosed underground tunnel.  
  
As they drew closer to place were the water was pumped up to the compound, the tunnel narrow until Vegeta and Goku were obliged to walk in the knee deep river. Having run off the mountain, from melted snow and ice, the river was freezing and not daring to use their Ki to warm themselves the two Saiya-jins were soon shivering with cold.  
  
"There," Vegeta voice suddenly echoed in the darkness and Goku stopped abruptly peering into the dark to try and make out the Saiya-jin prince and what he was seeing. The younger Saiya-jin could just make out the outline of his friend in front of him with his arm extended but could not make out what he was pointing at.  
  
"What?" Goku asked quietly, trying not to let his voice echo down the tunnel.  
  
Vegeta's shadow moved forward slowly then stopped. Goku heard the prince's foot connect with something metal and hollow with a curse.  
  
"Are you coming?" Vegeta demanded impatiently.  
  
"Where?" Goku asked sounding more confused by the minute.  
  
"This is the pipe that channels the water to the reservoir," Vegeta told him. Goku followed the sound of his voice and as he drew closer he could make out the shape Vegeta standing next to a large pipe which ran from the rocky wall into a larger and deeper pool of water in front of them.  
  
The pipe was about a metre in diameter and Goku immediately understood Vegeta's intention, "We have to swim up that?" he wanted to know.  
  
"Not really," Vegeta said a bit indistinctly as he moved toward the deep, dark pool, "The pump should just suck us up. There's a metal water wheel about half way up but that shouldn't be a problem for us."  
  
Goku shook his head in amazement as he followed Vegeta to the pipe, "How do you know all of this?" he wondered out loud.  
  
Vegeta gave a snort, "I never thought they would come in handy, the lessons I had as a child about...well, just about everything regarding the compound or the planet," he said wryly, "I despised them."  
  
"But they were necessary?" Goku half asked.  
  
"Necessary," Vegeta agreed, "But boring as hell."  
  
The Saiya-jin prince climbed down into the dark pool and disappeared into the water up to his chest with a slight hiss due to the cold, Goku followed with a gasp of his own. The Saiya-jin armour Goku wore protected him a bit from the cold but the clothing Vegeta wore did nothing to shield him. The two waded toward the pipe already feeling the currents in the water that indicated the suction the pipe was creating.  
  
Without a backward glance Vegeta abruptly took a deep breath and ducked under the water and swam toward the open end of the pipe. Goku hesitated only a split second before following. He immediately felt the pull of the pumps as he neared the opening of the pipe. It was not a pleasant sensation to be sucked up with the water and though he could easily have swum against it, Goku allowed himself to flow with the fast moving water.  
  
They had not been moving along the pipe long before they encountered the mill Vegeta had mentioned. Not daring to use Ki this close to the compound, the prince twisted in the water so he struck the paddles feet first, demolishing them with a swift kick.  
  
Not long after that Goku felt the welcome release of the strong currents and the two Saiya-jins were suddenly in open water. Goku's immediate reaction was to make for the surface but Vegeta grabbed his arm and beckoned. Following the Saiya-jin prince Goku swam to through the clear water and they eventually fetched up to a smooth metal wall. Vegeta swam up as soon as he touched it, staying as close as possible to the wall of the reservoir. Goku followed breaking the surface gratefully but did his best to breath quietly.  
  
Looking around he noticed the reservoir was housed in a huge room lined with a multitude of different sized pipes. The reservoir itself was a hundred metres wide at least. The pipes seemed to disappear into the walls, presumably to line the walls of the compound. The metal reservoir's sides were high enough to hide them from the guards and their suppressed Ki was enough to avoid detection.  
  
Vegeta looked around, presumably to get his bearings then beckoned to Goku again. The younger Saiya-jin swam after him a short distance then the prince flew out of the water slowly, to avoid making a splash, and over the side. Goku followed, landing on the slick metal floor behind the tank. There were no guards or personnel here but they could both sense them on the other side of the reservoir.  
  
Vegeta shivered against the cold but neither of them dared us their Ki to dry off. The prince leaned toward Goku.  
  
"There should be no more than three guards and two operators," he told the younger Saiya-jin in a low voice.  
  
Goku nodded, "On three?" he whispered.  
  
Vegeta nodded and mouthed 'One'.  
  
'Two' Goku followed.  
  
"Three" they yelled in unison before flying around the tank in opposite directions. The guards and personnel alike never knew what hit them.  
  
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Wow, two chapters in one day. I'm enjoying writing this story so much I might even post another chapter tomorrow. I hope everyone is still enjoying the story and that the last two chapters answered any questions you might have had. More revelations to come. Thanks for the reviews :)  
  
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	4. Chap 4

Thanks to all my reviewers, it really inspires me to write when I get so many reviews. Things are just getting started!  
  
As it turned out there were only two cooling system operators and one guard, so Vegeta and Goku's attack was a little over zealous. Luckily the two Saiya-jins had the element of surprise so they took the three down with little noise. Physically fighting with someone for the first time their 'new' bodies proved to be an interesting experience for both.  
  
This reminder of how weak he had been rendered did not improve Vegeta's mood. Goku did not seem overly disturbed by his drop in power but considering their situation couldn't help but wish he could at least go SSJ 1. They dragged the bodies of the three unconscious Saiya-jins around the back of the tank, Vegeta considered killing them but immediately dismissed the idea if only because Goku would never allow it.  
  
The Saiya-jin prince went to the control panel of the Temperature Regulation System and was pleased to find his memory had served him correctly. From that computer he could hack into the Compound's security systems, which would tell him the locations of every guard or servant in the palace. Goku watched him tapping deftly at the keyboard with mildly confused interest.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked inevitably.  
  
Vegeta didn't look away from the screen but answered shortly, "Finding Ranorik."  
  
"Would he still be in the palace?" the younger Saiya-jin went on.  
  
"Yes," Vegeta retorted then pointed to the screen, "See, lower levels. That's were he would be at night. All the servants sleep down here..." The prince trailed off as more information came up on the screen, "He's on this level."  
  
"Not far for us then," Goku commented. His tone suggested this was a good thing.  
  
Vegeta didn't agree, "This is the maintenance floor, why would he come down here?" he muttered to himself. He tapped a few more keys hurriedly, "His key card shows the last room he entered was-"  
  
The prince bit off the end of his sentence as his mouth snapped into a thin line of frustration and anger.  
  
"Hey Vegeta," Goku started suddenly, turning away from the console to look around the room, "I think there's som-"  
  
"I know," the Saiya-jin prince cut him off, trying to decide which particularly filthy Saiyan-go curse to utter first. He turned from the computer screen and scanned the shadows with his eyes and Ki. Sure enough both methods of sensing turned up a result.  
  
Ranorik sidled out of the shadows with a smirk, "I suppose you thought that was terribly clever, my king," he said mockingly.  
  
Vegeta growled under his breath, "My objective was to find you," he pointed out, "And that is what I've done. So yes, I do think it was terribly clever," he added scathingly.  
  
"The two of us are stronger than you alone, so I suggest you start giving us some answers," Goku added his voice hardening in what Vegeta recognized at the tone he used when he had run out of patience. Not a harsh tone but definitely an ominous one. Vegeta himself had been at the receiving end of it many times before.  
  
Ranorik glowered at them, "This isn't over yet," he told them, "I can swing things my way."  
  
"I don't care about your petty plans to overthrow your king," Vegeta snapped but his wrath was slightly ruined when he shivered, "How did we get here and how do we get back?" he demanded.  
  
"I can have this room filled with a dozen guards in a moment," Ranorik said conversationally.  
  
Vegeta ground his teeth audibly, "This body may be weak but my anger at you is so much that I will find a way to harm you beyond repair," his voice practically oozed the promise of imminent pain and violence, "If you don't give me answers NOW!"  
  
Ranorik, for all his contempt, paled slightly at this onslaught. He grimaced at his own weakness, "I suppose it makes no difference now," he muttered himself then looked at Vegeta and Goku critically as if weighing up their ability to understand, "You have heard of time travel?" he asked sounding put upon.  
  
Both nodded, Goku somewhat more enthusiastically.  
  
"Well," Ranorik sounding annoyed with himself, "Time travel is only possible is you don't change anything in the past to which you travel, which defeats the object. If you do change anything-"  
  
"You spilt the future into another timeline, yes we know," Vegeta finished irritably, "Skip that part, what then?"  
  
Ranorik looked surprised for a moment then continued, "I discovered that it didn't take much to adapt a time machine to be able to," he paused, "Surf? Peruse? Anyway, to travel to the different timelines or dimensions with ease. I could visit as many as a hundred a day." The advisor sounded excited despite himself.  
  
Vegeta nodded in understanding, "But how did you know I existed?" he demanded.  
  
Ranorik shrugged, "I didn't," he told them, "I just happened upon your timeline one day and that was when a brilliant idea occurred to me. The end to all my troubles with our weak king." He sneered slightly.  
  
Vegeta gave a smirk, "Yes," he said sarcastically, "Brilliant."  
  
Ranorik glowered at him but before he could retort Goku cut in, "How did you switch us?" he wanted to know.  
  
The advisor sighed in irritation, "A short while ago we developed a molecular weapon," he started.  
  
"What for?" Vegeta demanded suddenly, "Saiya-jins have no use for such things!"  
  
"To sell," Ranorik told him maliciously.  
  
Vegeta gave him a dirty look but before he could say anything Goku interrupted again, "Go on," he said forcefully.  
  
Ranorik frowned as he remembered, "The beam was successful, too successful," he added, "The beam was designed to force pressure between the molecules of mass, people, animals, planets, you name it, effectively disintegrating them. But a side affect we didn't consider was that it would disrupt the molecules at a dimensional level," he sighed, "It was a mess, the entire timeline's inhabitants were switched instantly with random counterparts from other dimensions instead of destroying them."  
  
"This timeline?" Goku asked with a frown.  
  
"No," Ranorik told him, "We tested the weapon in another timeline, I'd already perfected my dimensional jump by that time."  
  
Vegeta looked a bit confused, "But the weapon was designed to harm, why weren't the people disintegrated?"  
  
"It seems the weapon's beam did reduce the people it hit into particles but it reformed them again, and the entire timeline it would seem, in another dimension only with that timeline's memories," the advisor told him wearily.  
  
"Kind of like Instant Transmission for the mind," Goku said thoughtfully.  
  
Vegeta shook his head in frustration, "I still don't understand," he growled, "Did you alter our entire timeline? Why are only Kakarot and I here?"  
  
Ranorik smirked, "No, I found a way to concentrate the beam," he told him smugly, "I could eventually switch only one person's psyche between dimensions and now I can even dictate which dimensions I want them switched between."  
  
Goku blinked hard while Vegeta stared at counsellor in a deceptively calm manner.  
  
"Why is he here?" the Saiya-jin prince pointed at his friend.  
  
Ranorik looked confused for the first time, "I'm not sure," he said truthfully, "When I arrived in your timeline you tried to fight us but we had superior ships and weapons so you couldn't do any damage." Vegeta made a face at this, "I fired the beam at you but he," the advisor gave Goku a disdainful look, "and you did some sort of...dance and next thing there was only one person before me. The beam hit that person but he didn't look like either of you while looking like both of you at the same time."  
  
"Fusion," Goku murmured in understanding while Vegeta growled under his breath, not sure whether it was aimed at the advisor or his companion.  
  
"I don't remember fighting you," the prince pointed out.  
  
"That can be a side effect," Ranorik told him, "Memory loss. Not always but sometimes."  
  
"What time of the day was it?" Goku asked suddenly.  
  
Ranorik and Vegeta both looked blank.  
  
"Midday, why?" the counsellor said eventually.  
  
"If it was midday when we switched why did we wake up in the morning here on Vegeta-sei?" Goku wanted to know.  
  
Ranorik laughed, "Don't be simple," he said, "The time on earth is not the same as here. Earth is approximately five hours ahead of us. I coordinated the switch."  
  
"Are this timeline's versions of us in that body?" Vegeta demanded suddenly.  
  
"Of course," Ranorik told him, "Before I left your timeline I saw the fused warrior turn back in to two. They looked a little confused," he laughed, "And that's an understatement."  
  
"Your machine is still coordinated between out two timelines?" Vegeta wanted to know.  
  
"Yes but don't think-" Whatever Ranorik had been about to say was cut off when Vegeta barrelled into him at midriff level slamming him backward into the side of the metal reservoir. The advisor slumped down to the ground slightly in shock and pain but Vegeta grabbed him by the collar and pressed him against the slick metal.  
  
"Enough!" Vegeta snarled, "I am sick of you and this place. I am going home now and you are going to show me were you keep these machines of yours that will make it so."  
  
Ranorik gasped for breath, fear evident in his face, "I ...but...how," he stammered in surprise at Vegeta's show of strength.  
  
"Pure determination in the mind can out weigh the weakness of a body any day," Vegeta told him with a humourless smile, "Where?" he punctuated this question by slamming Ranorik against the reservoir again.  
  
"The labs, second floor," Ranorik croaked.  
  
"Thank-you," Vegeta said insincerely before rendering the man unconscious with excessive force.  
  
Goku raised an eyebrow at the unconscious man at the prince's feet. Vegeta shrugged at the scrutiny, "I never did like him," he explained glibly.  
  
"I can't believe they have weapons that are stronger than us," Goku commented.  
  
Vegeta grimaced as he walked to the doorway, "If these Saiya-jins spent as much time training as they do developing weapons and technology, they'd be a lot stronger," he pointed out. The doors slid open soundlessly as he approached and the prince glanced out quickly. The halls were deserted at this time of night.  
  
At his signal that the passage way was clear Goku followed him out. The two Saiya-jins quickly made their way to the second floor of the compound, where they would find Ranorik's laboratory and the time machine that would take them home.  
  
As they entered the lab both paused momentarily to marvel at the sheer amounts of equipment and half completed machinery and weapons that lined the floor of the huge room. It seemed Ranorik devoted a lot of time to developing technology.  
  
Vegeta dismissed the machinery and quickly searched through the warehouse- sized room until he found the most likely machine. It resembled the time machine Mirai Trunks had used to travel between his timeline and theirs but it was larger and held three seats. Goku wondered out loud why it would need three if only Ranorik used it.  
  
Vegeta shrugged as he climbed the steps up the side and peered through the dome, "Maybe he toyed with the idea of doing a straight switch," he smirked, "Bet he dismissed that one pretty quickly," he turned and looked down at the younger Saiya-jin, "Looks like the beam is here in the time machine." He pointed to a large gun, which resembled a high tech bazooka.  
  
Goku nodded slowly looking concerned about something, "How does this work?" he asked, "If we fire the beam on the other versions of us we'll get switched back right? But those versions of us will still be our timeline."  
  
Vegeta thought about it, "Kill them?" he suggested just to see the look that appeared on the other Saiya-jins face, "Send them back here in the time machine then," he added climbing into the machine.  
  
Goku scaled the ladder quickly, "But if we send the other Goku back here they'll execute him," he pointed out.  
  
Vegeta sat down in one of the chairs and studied the control board, "What do you suggest Kakarot?" he snapped, "Invite him to stay at your house? Let him keep your body so he'll have a fighting chance?"  
  
Goku sat down in the seat next to the prince's, "I don't know," he said with a sigh, "Just a thought."  
  
"We'll deal with that when we get home," Vegeta told him, "Kami knows what we're going to find," he added actually sounding worried.  
  
Goku nodded with a deep frown, "You know how to work this thing?"  
  
"Of course," Vegeta lied unashamedly, pushing a button. To his relief a low hum started and the screens flickered to life. At least he knew how to turn it on.  
  
The screen to the left of his hand showed the destination the machine was set for and Vegeta looked at the identification number for the dimension with a slight frown. It meant nothing to him; he just had to trust that Ranorik had been telling the truth. He also hoped that the machine would take them to earth and not to the Vegeta-sei of that timeline that just happened to not exist. Goku face showed even more confusion, as he couldn't even read the language.  
  
Vegeta followed the prompts on the screen until it told him to hit the 'launch' button. He looked at the button beneath his finger, paused then buckled his safety belt. Goku copied him without question.  
  
The Saiya-jin prince gave him a sidelong look and half smiled, "Ready?" he said.  
  
Goku shook his head.  
  
Vegeta smirked and pushed the button.  
  
Hope you're enjoying! 


	5. Chap 5

I'm really glad this story has turned out to be such a success. Hope you are still enjoying and thanks to all my reviewers.  
  
Later on Vegeta tried to identify with words what the trip between dimensions had been like. The closest he could get was that it had felt like falling in several different directions at once while at the same time remaining perfectly still. He had also got the impression that someone was trying to remove the top of his head. He couldn't figure out exactly how long the trip had taken but the remembered vaguely a screeching sound, like an alarm.  
  
When the feeling of being turned inside out stopped and the machine stopped shaking, the prince opened one eye and swivelled it around. Seeing that the time machine was whole and seemingly undamaged he opened the other one. He moved his head gingerly as it felt as though it were stuffed with feathers and his stomach lurched unpleasantly. Glancing fuzzily at screens before him he noticed one was flashing a red warning sign.  
  
He ignored it and looked over at Goku. The younger Saiya-jin was staring at the console in front of him with a glazed expression.  
  
"Kakarot," Vegeta managed to say on the second try. His voice sounded unsteady.  
  
Goku swivelled his eyes toward the prince, "Is the top of my head still there?" he asked.  
  
Vegeta nodded slowly.  
  
Goku sighed then unbuckled his seat belt and stood. He pointed at the computer screen that was flashing, "Is that important?"  
  
Vegeta stared at him, how could he be so calm?  
  
"Vegeta?" Goku frowned at him, "You okay? You look a bit grey."  
  
"I'm...I think..." the prince gave up and managed to unbuckle his seat belt. He stood slowly and paid a bit more attention to the screen, "It's a warning, it says there's an object attached to the outside of the time machine."  
  
"What kind of object?" Goku asked.  
  
"I don't know," Vegeta snapped fighting down the queasiness, "Let's get out of here." He popped the hatch and hefted the molecular beam gun onto his shoulder, then the two Saiya-jins flew out onto the green grassy area they had landed on.  
  
Goku peered into the distance, "Middle of nowhere," he said unnecessarily.  
  
Vegeta glared at him and looked around. He looked past the time machine into the distance then did a double take and stared at the machine instead. Not trusting his eyes just yet he tapped Goku on the shoulder with out looking at him and pointed forward.  
  
"Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?" he demanded.  
  
Goku followed his gaze then his jaw dropped. He stared for a moment before replying, "If you're seeing Ranorik clinging the side of the time machine like a limpet then yes," he said.  
  
Vegeta sidled up to the counsellor who had his hands hooked into two air vents and his feet shoved into the landing gear. The man was breathing very slowly and didn't seem to notice them. His eyes were unseeing.  
  
Vegeta snapped his fingers in front of Ranorik's face a few times but got no response.  
  
"Is he okay?" Goku asked peering at the advisor.  
  
Vegeta snorted and adjusted the weapon on his shoulder, "I doubt it," he said then stopped and looked at Goku with a frown.  
  
Goku was no longer studying the counsellor but rather staring disconcertedly into the distance, "You feel that?" he asked the older Saiya- jin lowly.  
  
Vegeta nodded, "A battle," he said unnecessarily.  
  
Goku frowned even more, "Something strong," he muttered, "Very strong."  
  
"Three guesses who it is and the first two don't count," Vegeta said wryly jumping into the air.  
  
"What about him?" Goku pointed at Ranorik.  
  
"I have a feeling he'll still be here when we get back," Vegeta told him before taking off. Goku was quick to follow.  
  
Following the practically visible ripples of power in the air the two Saiya- jin arrived at the scene of the battle sooner than they expected. As they flew two figures became visible fighting in the distance fighting in mid air not far out of Satan City. To Goku's surprise both had knee length golden hair. The younger Saiya-jin glanced at Vegeta and was surprised to find him, despite the seriousness of the situation, grinning from ear to ear.  
  
Goku scanned the area briefly and found there were a few different energy signals in the area. It didn't take him long to figure out what was going on. The other Vegeta and Goku with their newly acquired SSJ 3 bodies were fighting while the other Z fighters looked on.  
  
As they drew closer Vegeta didn't hesitate in bringing the molecular weapon from off his shoulder and firing two shots at the fighters. The two blue beams came close but with their superior strength and speed both fighters twisted out of way then stared at their counterparts in amazement.  
  
Vegeta and Goku stopped a short distance from them, the former still aiming the large gun. There was a long silence. Goku could see far below Vegeta's and his sons with Krillin, Yamcha and Tien. They all looked confused and worried.  
  
The Mirai Vegeta gave Vegeta a critical look with cold eyes, clearly assessing the situation. He pointed at his equivalent, "Those are my clothes," he said in a flat tone.  
  
Vegeta smirked, "I was about to say the same thing," he said noticing the Saiya-jin king wore his trademark blue jumpsuit with white gloves and boots looking a little torn and dirty.  
  
Mirai Goku, dressed in Goku's trademark orange Gi also a little worse for wear, was looking completely flummoxed, "What the hell is going on?" he said eventually.  
  
"Long story short," Goku said quickly, "The four off us are in each others bodies, so we need to switch back."  
  
"Like hell," Mirai Vegeta snapped and flew straight at Goku. In their current state both Goku and Vegeta couldn't have stopped him if they tried.  
  
As Goku went flying rather impressively Vegeta took the opportunity to aim the gun at his counterpart but Mirai Vegeta swung a hand up and knocked the gun out of his hands then grabbed the Saiya-jin prince by the throat.  
  
"I should thank you," the Saiya-jin King said mockingly, "I always wondered what it would be like to be this strong."  
  
Vegeta's eyes followed the decent of the molecular gun and he was relieved to see that Gohan had flown up and caught it despite not knowing what was going on. The prince looked at his counterparts face and was stunned to see absolute lack of emotions in the eyes. They looked completely devoid of life. Even at his most cruel Vegeta was sure he had never looked like that.  
  
The king sneered and began to squeeze. Vegeta kicked out uselessly with his legs as his air supply was cut off, knowing it wouldn't take any effort for this Mirai Vegeta to crush his throat. In desperation he brought both hands up and sent a Ki blast directly into the king's face. This seemed to do no damage for the last thing Vegeta heard before he fell unconsciousness was mocking laughter.  
  
Goku picked his head up out of the rock it had been buried in. He wondered if he was still in one piece, he hadn't been hit that hard since Brolly.  
  
"Dad!" someone called. Goku chuckled as he thought it could only be one of two people. It turned out to be Goten.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked helping him up.  
  
Goku nodded then eyed his youngest son, "How'd you know it was me?"  
  
"Gohan said it had to be if the other two weren't," Goten explained, "We figured out they weren't you and Vegeta-san pretty quick."  
  
Goku nodded then looked up in sky and spotted Mirai Vegeta with his counterpart by the throat. He cursed mentally as Vegeta's blast did nothing and took off toward the two impostors. Goten followed and Goku was about to tell him not to when it occurred to him that his son was currently stronger than him.  
  
Before he could reach Mirai Vegeta however, Mirai Goku attacked the king from behind causing him to drop the insensible Saiya-jin prince. Goku shot forward and caught him easily then looked up as the two Mirai Saiya-jins resumed their long fight.  
  
He looked at Goten, "Where's the gun?" he asked.  
  
"Gohan has it," the youngest half Saiya-jin pointed at the group down below. Sure enough Gohan had the molecular beam gun in his arms.  
  
Goku flew downward, landing before his friends and placed Vegeta gently on the ground. Trunks immediately came forward.  
  
"If he okay?" he asked anxiously kneeling next to his father.  
  
"I think so," Goku replied. Trunks felt Vegeta pulse and breathing then nodded in satisfaction.  
  
"Uh, Dad?" Gohan started, "What exactly is going on?"  
  
Goku sighed, "It's a long story." He gave them the short version and when he was done they looked equally confused. He filled in the gaps a bit until the Z fighters looked a little less perplexed.  
  
There was short silence after he was done, "So what do we do now?" Krillin wanted to know looking at the two fighting impostors apprehensively.  
  
Goku frowned, "We need to shoot both of them with the beam from that gun," he pointed to the weapon Gohan held, "That will switch us back then we'll take it from there."  
  
"What's the problem?" Trunks asked, "Just beat them up and fire at them when they're out of it."  
  
Goku chuckled mirthlessly, "Unfortunately Vegeta and I are a lot weaker in these bodies," he said, "We couldn't fight those two if we tried."  
  
"But that Goku is on our side," Tien pointed out, "We could get him to pin down the other Vegeta."  
  
Goku nodded, "Perhaps," he conceded, "But I don't think he'll want to go back to his old body either. They want to kill him his timeline remember."  
  
The others nodded glumly.  
  
"Do we have any Senzu beans?" Goku asked suddenly.  
  
The others shook their heads, "I think we'll need some before this is over," Goku told them, "Vegeta could use one now," he added.  
  
"I'll go get some," Yamcha volunteered, "Its not like I'm a match for those two anyway."  
  
"Okay," Goku agreed and the scarred warrior flew off to Karin's tower.  
  
Vegeta opened his eyes and was pleased to find this time upon awaking he was on earth. He was not pleased to find his neck ached and could hardly breathe without his throat feeling as though it were on fire. Sitting up slowly he saw Goku, Trunks, Gohan, Goten, Krillin and Tien staring up into the middle distance where the prince could just see Yamcha disappearing into the ether.  
  
He coughed involuntarily and immediately they spun around to look at him.  
  
"Are you okay?" Goku asked.  
  
Vegeta opened his mouth to tell him to leave him alone but coughed again instead which ruined the effect. His lungs felt starved for air.  
  
"What happened?" he demanded.  
  
"Your better half happened," Krillin told him wryly.  
  
Vegeta snorted and managed to stagger to his feet. He peered into the sky where Mirai Goku and Mirai Vegeta were battling ferociously. He frowned briefly then turned to Goku, "Where's the gun?"  
  
"I've got it," Gohan told him lifting it for him to see.  
  
Vegeta went forward and inspected it briefly, "Damn," he muttered with a frown, "Those shots completely drained its power."  
  
Goku peered at the gun over the princes shoulder, "Now what?" he asked sounding worried.  
  
Vegeta shrugged, "I'm sure Bulma can fix it," he pointed out.  
  
Goku started to nod then noticed the deafening silence that had fallen over the group. Vegeta also noticed and narrowed his eyes at other Z Senshi.  
  
"What?" he demanded in a tight voice. The others suddenly became interested in, respectively, the sky, ground and tops of their shoes.  
  
Trunks stepped forward and looked his father in the eye, "Mom...she..." the lavender haired Saiya-jin stopped with a swallow and looked into the sky at his father's counterpart, "He killed her," he whispered his voice breaking.  
  
Aargh, I'm cruel I know, but I'll post the next chap within the next two days, I promise. 


	6. Chap 6

A second reposting of chapter six. It occurred to me that Trunks had somehow disappeared in the confusion. This chapter should clear up where he is.

Vegeta heard Goku's curse of grief and anger distantly. He stared at Trunks as tears ran down his son's face feeling detached, unbelieving. He was surprised, not at the tears forming in his own eyes, but at the fact that he didn't care who saw him show such emotion. Slowly he swivelled his head and fixed his gaze on the fight high above them. He fixed his gaze on Mirai Vegeta, fighting with that cruel, twisted smirk. A smirk he himself had worn not so long ago.

The prince was aware of Trunks touching him on the shoulder and asking him something but he ignored it. All he could think was, 'she thought I killed her.' Bulma died thinking her husband had finally turned back to the evil lurking in his heart and mercilessly killed her.

This above all else fuelled the already rising rage and grief. It was so consuming that Vegeta barely noticed his power level jumping.

"Dad?" he heard his son say hesitantly.

In response Vegeta powered up and, his gaze stilled fixed on the king, snarled in fury.

"Vegeta, no!" Goku said quickly grabbing his arm, "I know you're upset, but you're no match for him."

"Upset?" Vegeta repeated wrenching his arm violently out of his greatest rival's grip, "UPSET?" he spat, "I WILL KILL HIM EVEN IF IT MEANS BEING STUCK IN THIS MISERABLE EXCUSE FOR A BODY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE," Vegeta voice was a distressing mixture of rage and grief.

Goku grimaced, "You'll get yourself killed," he shouted over the wind the prince was creating with his Ki.

Vegeta leapt into the air and, as he did so, screamed out his fury and grief. All his frustrations poured out and, in a splash of yellow light, he went Super Saiyan. More surprising than this was the realization that he didn't care. He didn't care that he had surpassed his new body's limitations or that in these new circumstances he had for once surpassed his greatest rival. All he cared about was making is counterpart pay, and pay in blood.

The new SSJ prince took off like a shot, leaving the others gaping in his wake. Goku cursed and immediately followed powering up to his less than satisfactory limit as he went. Trunks barely hesitated then shot off after the two Saiya-jins.

Gohan hesitated, still cradling the molecular weapon in his arms. Goten was looking at him expectantly, looking to his older brother for guidance. Krillin and Tien looked even more out of place and uncomfortable.

Gohan thought fast, he turned to the only the two human warriors, "No offence guys," he started.

Tien held up a hand, "It's okay we know we're no match for those two," he said, "What do want us to do?"

"Take this gun to Mr Briefs at Capsule Corp," Gohan told them, "We've already lost if we can't get this things power back up."

"We're on it," Krillin said taking the weapon from Gohan, "Be careful."

Gohan nodded with a glum sigh as they took off.

Goten looked at his brother, "What now?" he wanted to know.

Gohan looked up, "Now we fight," he said succinctly.

The younger half Saiya-jin gulped, "Think we have a chance," he asked as the two of them leapt into the air and took off after the other three Saiya-jins.

"No," Gohan said with a wry smile, "But when has that ever stopped us?"

Mirai Vegeta knew what hit him the minute it did but he still couldn't quite believe it as his counterpart came barrelling into him from behind, launching an unseeing berserker rage. But it wasn't the fact that he had dared attack an obviously stronger opponent but rather the fact that he had managed to break through the king's body's limitations that left him goggling. For this reason alone he didn't immediately retaliate allowing Vegeta to land a few solid punches. They didn't do much beside skin Vegeta's knuckles but the look of disbelief on the king's face gave him a small measure of satisfaction.

A sneer of distaste quickly replaced Mirai Vegeta's look of surprise however and he pulled back a fist to do away with the brief interruption. But before he could swing something latched onto his arm.

Expecting to see Mirai Goku attempting to thwart him he was surprised yet again to see the other Goku, still clad in the skin tight jumpsuit and armour, locking his arms around the king's forearm. The orange clad Mirai Goku seemed to be rooted by his own surprise for a moment before springing forward in the air to help his counterpart hold back the king.

As the two of them locked onto his forearm the king spun around bringing his other arm into play hoping to knock both the Goku's off of him. But before he could the new SSJ Vegeta grabbed his wrist in both hands and kneed him in the stomach. It did absolutely no damage to the king but it did distract him long enough for Mirai Goku to elbow the king across the face.

Having his attention momentarily on his counterpart Mirai Vegeta took the force of the blow fully and it sent him flying back a few metres. Doing a back flip in midair the king came to a halt and fixed his three opponents with a critical look. As he watched Gohan and Goten flew up behind Trunks who hung back uncertainly, watching the scene.

"What is it you're trying to do?" the king demanded, "You can't possibly believe you'll beat me."

Vegeta growled audibly, "It doesn't matter. You killed Bulma and you will pay for it," in a startling contrast to his previous tone Vegeta's voice was now dangerously calm.

The king sneered, "As if you actually cared about some female human," he mocked.

Goku shot his friend a warning look but was surprised to see a thoughtful look on Vegeta face rather than one of anger.

"It may not be love but even a Saiya-jin can care on occasion," the Saiya-jin said narrowing his eyes at his counterpart.

The king made a face, "Love is an abomination," he spat.

"Speaking of abominations," Vegeta said smiling horribly.

Mirai Vegeta grimaced and shot forward intent on doing away with his counterpart for good. For the third time that day he was shocked enough for his mouth to fall open. This particular surprise came from the fact that Vegeta dodged his attack.

Vegeta flew out of the way of the king's attack swiftly and easily and it was this that amazed the five Saiya-jins watching more than anything else. The king stopped his attack as he overshot and stared at his counterpart in disbelief.

"What?" he spat, his forehead worked into a frown.

"I know how you work," Vegeta told him mockingly, "But more than that I know how I work."

The king hesitated then smiled, "In case I know how you work too," he said triumphantly, "Or me," he added with a slight, fleeting frown.

"Vegeta?" Goku started having been thoroughly confused by the latest conversation.

The Saiya-jin prince ignored him and chuckled mirthlessly at his counterpart, "You fool," he laughed, "A human child could work this body of yours. You do not know your body, you merely exist in it," his voice had grown hard, "Only a warrior know the limitations of his own body. You cannot fight in my body, you don't know how to work it."

"I have fought sufficiently to break the limitations of this body. I made it ascend to SSJ 3," the king shot back, sounding more petulant by the second.

Vegeta gave a small and surprisingly genuine smile, "No you didn't," he said evenly, "It could already do that."

Goku looked at Vegeta with a grin, "Really?" he asked, sounding like an excited kid.

Vegeta gave a smirk, "A fight between us at the Tournament would have been most entertaining," he commented by way of answer.

"You sneak!" Goku exclaimed still grinning.

"Excuse me!" the king snapped, "I still fought him well enough," he pointed at Mirai Goku who was hovering patently behind his counterpart looking for all the world like a chastised little boy. He looked uncomfortable with the sudden scrutiny.

Vegeta gave an irate sigh, "He doesn't know how to work that body either," he pointed out impatiently, "Though I daresay he's learning. I on the other hand seem to have mastered your body," he grimaced, "As pitiful as it's limits are."

"You still can't beat me," the king hissed, "I am still stronger."

"Indeed I cannot harm your...or rather my body, it being at the level it is," Vegeta agreed, "However we are at a bit of a stalemate as far as fighting goes, I can't harm you and you can't even lay a finger on me. That will change once we're swapped back though and then I intend to kill you," the prince told him almost conversationally.

Mirai Vegeta stared at his counterpart for a moment then at those assembled. Gohan, Trunks and Goten seemed to have relaxed at the turn of events while their father was still grinning. Mirai Goku had since powered down and hovering next to his counterpart they now looked identical.

The king appeared to be thinking and Vegeta watched him through narrowed eyes trying to anticipate what he was planning. Abruptly Mirai Vegeta sagged in the air, his shoulders slumping.

"This is all Ranorik's doing," he muttered to himself, "What I wouldn't give to have him here now."

Goku looked at him, "He is here actually," he said, "He jumped aboard the time machine at the last minute," he continued ignoring Vegeta's angry exclamation of, "Kakarot!"

The king narrowed his eyes, "Time machine?" he questioned lightly.

"Don't you even think it," Vegeta snapped lunging for him but Mirai Vegeta had already taken off in the direction Goku and Vegeta had arrived from earlier.

"Shit!" Vegeta ranted shooting a filthy look at Goku. He seemed set to follow but hesitated.

"Where's the gun, Gohan?" he demanded suddenly spinning to face his rival's oldest son.

"Tien and Krillin took it to Dr Briefs to have it recharged," Gohan replied.

Vegeta's face twitched momentarily at the reminder of Bulma's death but he went on, "We need it now, go and fetch it," he told the oldest Demi Saiya-jin.

"What if it's not done yet?" Goten asked.

"Then threaten to break something in the good doctor's precious lab until it is!" Vegeta snapped.

"Vegeta, stop overreacting," Goku interrupted suddenly, "He'll never be able to find the time machine in the middle of nowhere."

The Saiya-jin prince rounded on his rival with a look of disbelief, "No! But he'll find Ranorik when he scans for his Ki and in case you've forgotten that conniving bastard of an advisor is still clinging comatose to the side of the time machine!" he shouted hit finger twitching with the desire to wrap themselves around the grinning idiot's throat.

"Dad I think you're going to give Vegeta-san an aneurysm," Gohan said with a grin.

"GET GOING!" Vegeta roared. Gohan and Goten 'eeped' then shot of in the direction of West City.

"What about me?" Trunks questioned his father.

Vegeta gave his son a long look, "Come with me," he said softly his voice carrying an unidentifiable emotion.

Vegeta spun around and took off in the opposite direction, after his counterpart, hoping the king's lack of finesse when handling his new body would make him slow. Trunks frowned but followed without hesitation.

Goku shared a glance with his demure counterpart then shrugged, "Come on," he told him before following the prince. Mirai Goku followed after a moment after considering his options and finding that he didn't have any.

True to his expectations Vegeta arrived at the time machine only moments after his counterpart. The now powered down Mirai Vegeta had used the intervening moments to pry his advisor loose from the side of the machine and shake him around. He was trying to revive him, not out of concern but rather out of the desire to have the advisor conscious when he killed him.

"Wake up you lying piece of-," the king was ranting to glazed eyes.

"I don't think he can hear you," Vegeta commented as he landed on the grass with his son, followed shortly by Goku and his other.

The king spared him a glare before peering closely at Ranorik's unseeing eyes, "What happened to him?" he asked, curiosity over riding his need to escape briefly.

"Time travel didn't agree with him," Goku supplied with grin.

"Going somewhere?" Vegeta asked impatiently, folding his arms

Mirai Vegeta tossed the comatose man aside like an item of dirty clothing, "Home," he said succinctly heading for the time machine.

"Not on your life," Vegeta spat grabbing the king's arm.

Mirai Vegeta wrenched his arm out of the prince's grip with little effort, "Going to stop me are you," he sneered trying to shove Vegeta away, but the Saiya-jin prince jinked easily.

"I'll help," Mirai Goku piped up suddenly walking forward and grabbing the king by the wrist. Mirai Vegeta growled in anger and tried to pull free. That failing he powered up to SSJ and tried again but Mirai Goku merely imitated him, keeping his strength level equal. The king made a face and went SSJ 2 but his captor did the same. Eventually both the Saiya-jins of another dimension were at SSJ 3 and pushing their limits to the maximum.

Goku, Vegeta and Trunks all took a step or two back under the force of the gale the two were creating. The air crackling audibly with raw energy and grass and dust swirled in the air.


	7. Chap 7

I've reposted Chapter 6 a third time because I realized I'd forgotten to add Trunks in the one scene. If you don't want to reread it Trunks goes with his father and the two Goku's to stop Mirai Vegeta stealing the time machine. has not been my friend these past two weeks. I apologise for the delay with posting this chapter.

"That should do it," Mr Briefs announced straightening from the molecular gun, which lay on a table in his laboratory.

Tien and Krillen looked up simultaneously from where they had been waiting impatiently for the professor to fix the weapon that would swap the four interchanged Saiya-jins back to their own bodies. With them Mrs Briefs sat cradling little Bra on her lap.

"Does it work?" Krillen wanted to know.

Mr Briefs shrugged, "I hardly know what it is," he told them, "It's a fascinating weapon. Basically it swaps molecules between two points in space and time, provided you specify which two points. It was set to swap between this timeline and dimension of those other two Saiya-jins. I've set both the origin and destination points to this dimension so all you have to do is fire on either of the Gokus or Vegetas and they'll do a straight switch. I would love to study it further but it'll work, hopefully."

Tien raised an eyebrow; "Hopefully?" he wanted to know.

Mr Briefs sighed, "Sorry, I've done my best," he replied, "The rest is up to you."

"It's under control," Krillen told him hoping he wasn't lying to not only the professor but himself as well.

"Remember, the weapon seems to only be able to store enough energy for two shots," Mr Briefs warned.

"Better make 'em count, huh?" Krillen chuckled humourlessly as Tien shouldered the overly large gun.

"Yes," Mr Briefs agreed his voice harbouring pain. Krillen didn't need to guess the cause.

Tien walked to the door, "Let's go," he said grasping the handle, "The sooner this is over the sooner we can all go home."

The three-eyed man opened the door as he hitched the molecular gun higher on his shoulder and Krillen followed closely shooting Mrs Briefs an encouraging look as they left. Outside they both made to fly back in the direction they had come when simultaneously they paused.

Tien shot his short friend a questioningly look, "You feel that?"

"Uh-huh," Krillen replied then grinned, "Gohan and Goten," he added scanning the skies.

Tien frowned, "Hope nothing's happened," he murmured.

Within seconds the two brothers had landed before them on the grass of Capsule Corporation.

Gohan eyed the molecular gun over Tien's shoulder, "Is that thing working?" he asked immediately.

"Yup," Krillen told them with a grin.

"Okay," Gohan concentrated for a moment then looked to his left, "They're a few miles over that way."

"That way?" Tien looked confused, "I thought-"

"The other Vegeta went after the time machine Dad and Vegeta-san came home in," Goten explained, "That's why we have to hurry."

"Yes, but everyone keep your Ki low, we have to try and sneak up on them," Gohan warned, "We'll never be able to hit them other wise."

"We've only got two shots, too," Tien added.

"Let's go," Krillen said jumping into the air.

The two Mirai Saiya-jins screamed above the noise they were creating, each vying for a higher power level. As of yet they seemed perfectly matched. Despite the seriousness of the situation Goku gave the Saiya-jin prince a sidelong look with a raised eyebrow.

Vegeta smirked at the other Saiya-jin's questioning look. He knew Goku was wondering about Vegeta's jump to SSJ 3 and subsequent equalling in power. The prince ignored the look and continued to watch their counterparts try and outdo one another. To his other side Trunks was glaring at the king with unconcealed hatred

Abruptly Mirai Vegeta powered down and, after a moment, Mirai Goku followed suit. The latter did not however release his grip on the king's wrist.

Mirai Vegeta gave his captor a critical look, "Why are you helping them?" he demanded, "I am your king your allegiance should be to me."

Mirai Goku raised an eyebrow, "I don't stand with people who want to have me killed," he said blandly.

The king narrowed his eyes briefly, "And what if you were acquitted?" he asked then sighed at the other Saiya-jin's blank look and added, "What if I promised not to kill you?"

Mirai Goku paused, "I couldn't trust you," he pointed out but he sounded a little uncertain.

Mirai Vegeta laughed, "In that body you are stronger than my entire royal army and I alone cannot kill you," the king told him, "In fact with you by my side there is not a force in the universe that could us."

The real Goku smiled, "He'd never agree to that," he said confidently, "I wouldn't."

Mirai Goku glanced at his counterpart, his face pensive, then looked back at Mirai Vegeta and released his wrist, "You have my allegiance, my king," he said.

"WHAT!" Goku shrieked his mouth hanging open in shock.

Vegeta also looked surprised, "Looks like I'm not the only one different in their timeline," he commented.

The two Mirai Saiya-jins turned to face the three Earth Saiya-jins and they suddenly became aware of just how bad a situation they were in.

Trunks edged a step closer to his father, "Now what?" he asked lowly.

Vegeta continued to stare at his counterpart, "That man killed your mother," he said loud enough for everyone to hear.

Trunks flinched, "I know that," he said in a tight voice.

Vegeta looked at his son, "And what are you going to do about it?" he asked bluntly.

Trunks stared at him with wide eyes as Mirai Vegeta started to laugh, "That stupid boy has done nothing but cry for his mother, perhaps that bitch wasn't worth avenging," he said acerbically.

Vegeta hands clenched convulsively but he willed himself to remain were he was. Trunks had spun around to look at the king with hatred in his eyes but before his son could say or do anything the Saiya-jin prince leaned forward and whispered for only Trunks to hear, "He's right, you know."

Vegeta had been expecting it but was still slightly stunned when his son punched him across the face. Hard. As the prince landed on his back, having done nothing to stop the blow, he rather wished Trunks hadn't gone Super Saiya-jin first.

"Trunks!" Goku called in surprise as the lavender haired half Saiya-jin screamed and lunged toward Mirai Vegeta. The king took a fighting stance but just as he came in range Trunks jinked faster than the eye could see, making him appear to disappear, and reappeared behind his opponent kicking him behind the knee to bring him to his knees. Then, powering up to his limit, he spun around and kicked the king across the head.

It happened so quickly that neither Mirai Vegeta nor Mirai Goku could even think to stop him. The king went flying under the force and unexpectedness of the attack much to Trunks', as well as the two Gokus', surprise. Vegeta, who was clambering to feet muttering, "Don't kill him", looked unfazed.

Trunks paused and caught the real Goku's eye. The Saiya-jin had a mixture of disbelief and delight plastered across his face. As Goku gave him a thumbs up the half Saiya-jin looked down at himself. Blue lightning crackled over the yellow aura, which surrounded him in his SSJ state. He'd gone SSJ 2 without even realising it.

Vegeta got to his feet and pressed the back of his hand against his cheek, "Guess I was right," he murmured with a smirk, "Mixing Saiya-jin and human blood begets a powerful hybrid."

Trunks looked at his hands then up to his father, "You said those things on purpose," he said, "You knew I'd get angry enough to ascend."

"Yes," Vegeta agreed.

"Why didn't you get angry enough to ascend?" Trunks wanted to know.

Vegeta shook his head and poked himself in chest with a thumb, "This body isn't physically strong enough to go SSJ 2, it'd be ripped apart," he explained, "You, on the other hand, have been training for this."

Trunks nodded slowly in understanding then glared at Mirai Goku who was staring over his shoulder to where Mirai Vegeta was struggling to get to his feet. The orange clad Saiya-jin turned back to the three Earth Saiya-jins and raised both hands.

"Look-," Goku started but was interrupted as his counterpart was hit dead centre in the chest by a high power up beam of light.

The world went white.

Goku became aware of movement before anything else. After a moment he realized the movement was someone shaking him rather violently and opened his eyes with a frown and angry rebuke ready on his lips. His words died as he saw Vegeta standing over him grasping him by the shirtfront and shaking him none to gently. It was only then that he realized he was lying on the ground.

As the Saiya-jin prince realized his rival was awake he released Goku's shirtfront and allowed the younger Saiya-jin slump back onto the ground, "What do you remember?" he demanded.

Goku thought about it, "We were..." he paused then frowned, "In another timeline?"

Vegeta nodded, "What else?"

"I don't know," Goku rubbed his eyes and sat up, looking down at himself he was pleased to find he was now dressed in his usual orange Gi, even if it was a little torn and dirty. He also had a few aches and pains he didn't remember having before, but of course they'd been inflicted while another occupied his body. Vegeta straightened and backed off to stand next to the rest of the Z fighters who were also hovering nearby anxiously. Looking around he saw a person nearby lying prone but showed signs of stirring. Goku concentrated on him then gaped.

"What the-" he started but Vegeta cut them off.

"Yes, he's you," he explained impatiently, "You were swapped remember?"

"I think I do," Goku said getting to his feet slowly and gave Vegeta a critical look, "What's with the clothes?"

"I was also swapped," the prince said tightly, "I haven't been switched back."

Goku snapped his fingers, "The gun right?" he said suddenly remembering, "Where's your double?"

Vegeta looked down and clenched his fists, "Gone," he said succinctly.

Goku looked around and caught on surprisingly quickly, this may have been due to the glaringly obvious lack of time machine in the area.

"He took the time machine," Trunks supplied unnecessarily.

"Oh," said Goku for lack of something better to say.

"We've still got the gun," Gohan pointed out hefting the weapon.

"Whoop-de-do," Vegeta snarled sarcastically, "That doesn't help a bit."

"Can't Dr Briefs build another time machine?" Goten asked quietly.

Vegeta pretended to look delighted, "Got some plans for an inter-dimensional time machine hidden about your person have you, boy?"

Goten looked at his feet, "No," he conceded.

"No," Vegeta agreed in a derisive voice, "I didn't think so."

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Goku asked.

"Grandpa could probably build another machine if he just had the specs," Trunks pointed out.

Vegeta rubbed his temples viciously with a curse of frustration and strode the short distance to Mirai Goku who was just getting to his feet. Not pausing for a moment the prince punched Mirai Goku, who was now back in his own body clad in the blue jumpsuit and armour, across the face.

"Vegeta!" Goku yelled jogging up to him and giving him a reproving look as Mirai Goku sat down on the ground again with a thump.

The prince shrugged, "I would have punched myself but he's not here right now," he said unapologetically.

"It's okay," Mirai Goku said from the ground, restarted the standing up process, "I deserved that."

"Why'd you side with the king anyway?" Goku wanted to know, "I thought you were on our side."

His counterpart sighed, suddenly looking very tired. He shrugged then nodded his head toward Goku's eldest son, "Is that Gohan?"

Goku nodded, "Yeah," he affirmed, "That's Goten next to him, my youngest son."

Mirai Goku smiled, "I'm glad I got see what he would have looked like," he murmured, "My son was killed in my timeline, by my own brother."

"Radditz," Krillin suddenly commented as the rest of the Z fighters gathered around.

Mirai Goku nodded then frowned, "He didn't defeat you?" he asked of his counterpart.

Goku shrugged, "Sort of," he said, "It's along story but we defeated him with Piccolo's help."

"Piccolo!" Mirai Goku spat, "I suppose he didn't betray you in your version."

"No I didn't," an unmistakable voice came from above.

The Z fighters glanced up to see the Namek hovering above them, arms folded, staring dispassionately down at the group. He moved downward and touched down lightly.

"Two Goku's," he observed, "Haven't we suffered enough?"

"Haha," Goku said with a grin, "Took your time didn't you."

"You seemed to be managing," Piccolo commented, "At least you were," he gave Vegeta a fascinated look, "What an unfortunate body."

The prince glowered at him, "What a surprise," he said insincerely, "A late and dramatic arrival from everyone's favourite green idiot."

"Ouch," Piccolo said blandly, "You're just pissed off because I'm stronger than you now."

Vegeta opened his mouth to retort then stopped and shook his head, "Whatever," he muttered and walked away from the group.

Piccolo frowned, "Is Vegeta depressed?" he wondered out loud.

Goku gave him a quick version of recent events and when he was done the Namek looked thoughtful.

"What a bizarre idea," he commented.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"So what now?" Gohan wanted to know.

Goku opened his mouth to reply that he had no idea then shut it with a frown and looked upward. A split second later everyone mimicked him and before along a fast moving speck appeared in the clear sky. The speck rapidly became Yamcha and within moments he'd landed breathlessly in front of the group, a little brown bag of Senzu beans hanging from his belt.

"Am I too late?" he asked.

Everyone nodded, save Vegeta who snorted and wandered even further from the group.

Yamcha frowned, "Oh."

"We still need to think of something," Trunks pointed out.

"We're going to Capsule Corporation," Vegeta broke in as he walked back toward the group looking intent.

"Why?" Goten asked.

"Two reasons," Vegeta said with a sudden grin which was somehow scarier then his glare since it held no mirth and even more malice, "Firstly we're going to wake up Ranorik," he jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. Everyone peered behind the prince to where the advisor lay still comatose on the ground and Vegeta had found him seconds before, "So he can tell the good doctor how to build another time machine."

Goku grinned, "Of course," he said, "I'd forgotten him. And the other reason?"

"To get the dragon radar," Vegeta told them his grin disappearing, "We'll need to summon Shenlon when this is all over."

Even though I'm the author I still find myself getting confused. I hope this makes sense and I haven't missed anything in my time travel and switching theories. If I have feel free to point them our (or ignore them if changing things will ruin my story :P)

Please read and review!


	8. Chap 8

A HUMUNGOUS apology to all my readers, I know I've been away for a LONG time but my computer's hard drive malfunctioned a while back and I lost all my files. You guys must think I'm such a rotter. Thankfully I'm back online now. This chapter was written in record time and just to show I'm really sorry I'll post another chapter later this weekend.

* * *

Vegeta sat waiting, albeit impatiently, in the lounge of the Briefs household while Dr Briefs tried to revive Ranorik. On his lap, face buried in his chest, was Bra. Usually Vegeta would have avoided such a display of emotion but for once the prince was content to let his daughter draw comfort from him. Upon entering the lab the little girl had instantly known that her real daddy had come back and had abandoned her grandmother's lap to run to Prince, crying all the way.

Vegeta had immediately adopted the expression he always did when Bra was crying. An equal mixture of anger and discomfort. Anger at whomever had upset her and discomfort over the presence of tears.

Even after calming down Bra still clung to his shirtfront like a limpet and Vegeta allowed it because he too was drawing comfort from his daughter just as she was from him. The prince had tried to avoid thinking of Bulma when they'd arrived, courtesy of Goku, at the Capsule Corporation but the looks that had appeared on both Mr and Mrs Briefs faces when they saw him had almost sent him running for the door. The expression had been fleeting as they realized he wasn't the one who'd killed their daughter but Vegeta had never imagined the mild mannered couple could hold such malice.

Across from the prince, on the opposite sofa, sat Goku with his counterpart and to his left Trunks. It had been decided that the three full Saiya-jins should travel to Ranorik's timeline since Mr Briefs envisioned a three man craft and being that they where the strongest save Vegeta. Trunks had tried to argue that he should be allowed to go as well but his father shot him an affective glare which quietened him, at least for the moment. Mirai Goku had asked if Ranorik was going too and Vegeta had replied, rather harshly, the advisor could travel in the boot. The other Z Senshi had taken the dragon radar and where using their combined efforts to find the Dragonballs in record time.

Goku looked bored but the Saiya-jin seemed to be able to deal with boredom pretty well. Usually by switching off and staring into space. Mirai Goku looked pensive, which was quite unnerving since it was not a common expression for any Goku. Trunks looked as impatient as his father but gave a strained smile as his grandmother entered carrying a tray of tea and biscuits. Mrs Briefs seemed to cope with loss and grief by making tea. Vegeta didn't know if he could possibly drink another cup. He didn't even like the stuff, he preferred coffee.

Goku grinned at Mrs Briefs and readily accepted his cup but was probably more interested in the biscuits. Mirai Goku took his cup with a smile and sipped it slowly. Trunks tactfully set his fourth cup of tea to one side when his grandmother wasn't looking. Vegeta took his cup of tea avoiding Mrs Briefs' eye then downed it one gulp, wincing slightly.

Mrs Briefs didn't seem to notice as she fussed a bit more with the tray then sat down next to Vegeta and stroked Bra's hair. The little girl had since fallen into an exhausted sleep.

"Poor girl," her grandmother murmured then looked at Mirai Goku, "She probably wouldn't have made it if you hadn't stopped..." she trailed off her eyes welling up.

Vegeta scowled and clenched his fists quite inadvertently crushing his empty teacup.

"What exactly happened?" Goku wanted to know.

Mrs Briefs gave the powdered teacup a momentary frown before answering, "You don't remember?" she directed her question at Vegeta who shook his head looking interested despite himself, "You felt a strange presence arrive, very suddenly. You said it was close, so you and Trunks were going to go and find it. Before you could, he arrived here," she explained, staring into memory.

"You arrived about the same time, Goku-san," Trunks continued, "With Goten and Gohan. That guy seemed weak," he looked toward the Laboratory where Ranorik was being treated, "So when he attacked Dad we didn't think it would be a problem. But he was using all sorts of weapons and he was wearing this armour that almost seemed alive," Trunks struggled to explain, "I still don't get how weapons could be stronger than us."

"What then?" Vegeta demanded.

"You and Goku-san decided to fuse," Trunks went on with a slight frown, "But when you were doing the dance that guy fired that molecular gun you brought back with you. By the time the beam hit you, you were already Gogeta," he paused.

"That's when we switched," Mirai Goku surmised, "I was in jail on Vegeta-sei and next thing I knew I was sitting on the ground staring at the King."

"Bulma went to see if you were okay and before I could stop her Bra followed," Mrs Briefs whispered as tears spilled onto her cheeks.

"I'm sorry I didn't react in time," Mirai Goku offered.

"It's not your fault," Vegeta said unexpectedly and without sympathy. He scowled in the direction of the laboratory and stood abruptly. Since Bra refused to let go of him, he shifted his daughter onto one hip and stalked into lab.

The others shared a look before following. If seeing his son-in-law barging into the room surprised Dr Briefs, he didn't show it. Straightening from the table on which Ranorik lay he gave Vegeta confused look.

"What-" he started.

"Is he awake?" Vegeta interrupted.

Mr Briefs shook his head, "Not yet."

"Is he likely to wake up in the next five seconds?" Vegeta demanded.

Mr Briefs shook his head but Vegeta hadn't been waiting for an answer. The prince walked to Mrs Briefs and handed her Bra. The little girl resisted and looked about to start crying again when her father gripped her chin firmly and looked her in the eye.

"Do you trust me?" he asked her.

Bra nodded immediately.

"Then sit with your Grandmother for a moment," Vegeta told her, "This won't take long," the prince looked at Goku, "Come with me."

The younger Saiya-jin followed without question, "What are you going to do?" he asked as Vegeta took up position on one side of the bed where Ranorik lay.

"Something he's not going to like," the Saiya-jin prince told him, "You'll need to hold him down."

"You're not going to hurt him are you? He's still my patient," Dr Briefs said hurriedly.

"Unfortunately, no," Vegeta said nastily then held a hand out to his father in law, "Give me your hand."

The doctor wasn't the only one confused, he hesitated.

"It won't hurt," Vegeta told him, misinterpreting his reluctance.

"What are you going to do?" Dr Briefs repeated Goku's previous question.

"Show you how to make a time machine," the Saiya-jin prince said simply. Dr Briefs gave his hand hesitantly as if afraid Vegeta would crush it.

Goku narrowed his eyes at his rival, "Is this dangerous?" he wanted to know.

Vegeta held his stare for a beat, "No," he lied evenly.

Goku chuckled and shook his head but took up position next to Ranorik nonetheless.

Vegeta looked down at the advisor's face with a look of reluctance then placed his bare hand on Ranorik's forehead. The prince closed his eyes, his brow furrowed in concentration. For a long few minutes nothing happened, save a light sheen of sweat appearing on his face.

A split second before Dr Briefs gave a yelp of pain and sat down hard on the ground, breaking his hold on Vegeta, Ranorik arched his back violently with a feral hiss.

Vegeta didn't seem to notice the loss of contact between him and his father-in-law but grimaced as Goku easily held the advisor's arms down. Trunks came forward and helped his grandfather to his feet.

"That hurt," Mr Briefs said peevishly, massaging his temples.

Trunks looked worriedly at his father as Vegeta clenched his now free left hand in obvious discomfort.

"What happened?" Goku asked as he held Ranorik's arms in place. Mirai Goku had since come forward to pin the advisor's legs down.

Mr Briefs opened his mouth to reply when Ranorik gave a sudden scream. Vegeta's eyes popped open as he snatched his hand away from the advisor's forehead as if burned. The prince gave a curse, which earned him a reproachful look from Mrs Briefs.

The prince backed up a few involuntary steps as Ranorik settled down again. The two Gokus released the advisor warily.

Vegeta glared at Ranorik's now still form then looked at Mr Briefs, "What did you see?" he demanded.

The doctor hesitated for thought, "A lot," he said, "But not everything."

Vegeta nodded, "Enough to replicate the time machine?" he wanted to know as he steadied himself on the edge of a nearby worktable.

Dr Briefs nodded, "Yes," he said, "I think so," he added truthfully.

"You'd better," the prince said bluntly and shot a wary look at Ranorik, "I'm not going in there again."

"What happened?" Trunks asked.

"Yeah," Goku added with his usual candour, "You look pale."

Vegeta ignored his rival, "I didn't count on him having psychic training," he all but growled, "And with good reason."

"Psychic training?" Dr Briefs questioned with interest.

"Just as it sounds," Vegeta explained showing rare patience, "Mind reading, communication, control and the like. I have some training myself but it was banned before I could complete it."

"Why?" Goku wanted to know.

Vegeta gave him a half-hearted smirk ran the back of his hand across his forehead, "It's dangerous," he said simply, "Imagine a bunch of Saiya-jins able to kill with a thought."

"You can think someone dead?" Trunks asked incredulously.

"It would take immense training," Vegeta told him looking at Ranorik, "but you could do it."

"Is that what he did?" Dr Briefs asked, "He mentally attacked you?"

Vegeta nodded carefully, "Good thing you let go," he told the doctor, "Otherwise he would have killed you."

"Oh for goodness sake," Mrs Briefs suddenly cried. She shifted Bra onto her hip and marched up to Vegeta, "You're not fooling anyone young man," she told him bossily.

Vegeta looked taken aback, "What-" he began to say.

"Sit down before you fall down," she commanded wheeling a desk chair behind him.

"I don't think-," the Saiya-jin prince started heatedly.

"Yes, I know you don't," Mrs Briefs continued, "You wouldn't have the sense to come in out of the rain."

Even Dr Briefs look surprised at the sudden outburst from the usually benign and ditsy elderly blonde woman. Trunks had quickly overcome his shock however to make way for amusement and the lavender haired teenager had to cover his mouth with a hand to keep from laughing out loud.

Vegeta was at a bit a loss. For the second time since waking up on Vegeta-sei somebody had completely disregarded his authority or, failing that, strength. The Saiya-jin prince wouldn't have raised a hand to his mother-in-law these days but still had to admire the woman's nerve.

"I'll live," he told her impatiently.

"I've no doubt," Mrs Briefs retorted with a stern frown. Abruptly her face crumpled a bit and she pressed her lips together, "My daughter is gone, Vegeta," she said quietly so only he could hear. Impervious to his sudden glare she added, "Put aside your pride and grant me this."

Vegeta looked her in eye and beyond the shimmer of tears he suddenly saw exactly where Bulma got the strength he loved her for. The prince sat down.

Mrs Briefs smiled as a shocked silence settled over the others in the laboratory, "Good," she said, "Now, how about a cup of tea?"

* * *

Instead of tea Vegeta pleaded weariness and went back to the sitting room on the pretence of sleeping while the others stayed to watch Dr Briefs' progress on the inter dimensional time machine and if necessary lend a hand.

Knowing sleep was out of question Vegeta changed tack and headed upstairs to shower and change out of the king's clothing. Instead of his usual jumpsuit, which was the most practical for training, he donned a blue long sleeved v-neck t-shirt and a pair of black pants. Over them he wore a pair of yellow utilitarian boots that his son usually favoured. As he dressed he noticed with a certain amount of revulsion that his new body had none of the scars he had acquired through his life.

Sitting on the edge of the bed to pull on his boots Vegeta was suddenly and irrevocably reminded of Bulma. The feeling drove him to his feet intent on leaving the room but he found himself sitting down again. The prince glared over his shoulder at the other side of the bed and the bedside table which all manner of creams and perfumes that he would never understand.

_We'll wish her back_, he reminded himself but the same time wondering if this were true why it still hurt so much.

The hurt invariably incited anger and Vegeta welcomed it. It was the one emotion he could understand. He'd never had a problem suppressing his unwanted emotions before but it was becoming increasingly difficult. He didn't understand grief and why humans placed a kind of value on it. They took grief to mean you cared for the person who had died but he'd always understood grief to be selfish.

In his own presence he allowed himself a small weakness and lay back on the queen size bed, his expression did not soften but rather fell into a bleak mask of introspection.

He gave a smirk at the irony of the Prince of all Saiya-jins feelings more at home in the room of some human than the royal bedchamber he'd been born to sleep in.

"Vegeta!"

The Saiya-jin prince sat up abruptly and came face to face with Goku, leaning over him.

"Kakarot? What the hell?" his head felt oddly fuzzy.

"Dr Briefs sent me to fetch you," Goku explained cheerfully backing up as Vegeta stood.

"Why?" the prince wanted to know.

Goku gave him a confused half smile, "The time machine's ready," he said simply.

Vegeta gave a snort of disbelief, "I know the man's a genius but even he couldn't build an inter dimensional craft in less than half an hour," he stated.

Goku gave an uncharacteristic smirk, "No but he could build one in five hours," he said.

"Your point?" Vegeta demanded as he walked to the door.

Goku chuckled, "That's how long you've been asleep," he clarified.

Vegeta paused and looked over his shoulder at his rival, "I wasn't asleep," he said immediately.

Goku just sniggered again, "Dr Briefs is waiting," he reminded his rival, "Oh and I think your mom-in-law made you a cup of tea."

Vegeta cursed, "What the hell has that woman got against coffee?"

* * *

No action per se I'm afraid but the next chap will be up soon. R&R always appreciated.


	9. Chap 9

See I'm not dead! I'm very, very sorry for the huge delay but my reason is genuine! Hope you enjoy the next chapter!

* * *

Despite denying it had ever happened Vegeta felt better for having slept. Passing through the living room on the way to the laboratory he wasn't surprised to see Mirai Goku, Trunks, Gohan and Goten dozing on the sofas while Tien, Krillen and Yamcha lay about the floor in different poses of rest. A head count of Ki revealed Piccolo to in the laboratory already.

On one of the side tables the seven Dragonballs lay in a fruit basket, the discarded apples and bananas had since become a pile of cores and peels.

Upon entering the next room, still trailing Goku, Vegeta failed to see Dr Briefs or Piccolo but could sense them toward the back of the laboratory in an area which clearly designed to act as a workshop. The Saiya-jin prince stopped dead when he saw what the doctor was working on.

Goku managed not to crash into the back of him but did give his rival a curious look.

"What's wrong?" he wanted to know.

Vegeta carefully avoided looking at Piccolo who wore a better-you-than-me look, "I thought you said the time machine was ready," the prince said.

Goku looked at the hastily assembled machine then back at Vegeta, "It is," he shrugged.

The Saiya-jin prince advanced on the machine with caution. Somewhere around the back he could hear Dr Briefs muttering to himself as he worked on the machine.

_Probably nailing a microwave on_, Vegeta thought for, to him, the machine gave the impression of all the appliances of the Briefs household bolted together. Which it probably was to a point.

Dr Briefs emerged from the other side of the machine covered in grease; his eyes covered by goggles and gave Vegeta a lopsided grin.

"Best I could do in a hurry," he explained apologetically.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at the mess of machinery then sighed, "Will it work?" he wanted to know.

Dr Briefs hesitated, "Yes," he decided finally.

The Saiya-jin prince nodded slowly then eyed the doctor, "Would that still be your answer if I told you your grandson is coming along?" he asked in jest.

Dr Briefs gave a laugh then stopped, looked a bit guilty and disappeared around the back of the machine again, "Maybe just a few adjustments," he muttered to himself.

Goku looked surprised, "Is he joking?" he asked Vegeta.

His rival shook his head slowly, "Hard to tell," he answered truthfully.

"What the hell is that?!" Gohan stopped dead, as Vegeta had earlier, upon entering the lab. Both the Saiya-jin prince and Goku turned to see Gohan, Trunks and Mirai Goku had since woken and were looking more than a little surprised to see the outcome of Dr Briefs' work.

Dr Briefs reappeared from behind his creation, "All done," he announced, "Let me show you how it works," he said to Vegeta.

The Saiya-jin prince nodded and followed the doctor to what he had to assume was the front of the machine. After the doctor placed his hand against a soft gel pad on the side of the time machine a ramp lowered from what had now revealed itself to be the back of the craft.

"This identipad is configured to yours and my handprints only, so no one will be stealing your way home," Dr Briefs explained. The others in the room had since clustered around to peer into the depths of the ship. The inside was slightly better looking than the outside but not by much.

"You'll notice it's much bigger than Ranorik's model, this one can hold up to six people," the doctor went on as he walked into the craft. The others followed cautiously, still not entirely trusting Dr Briefs' creation.

The doctor immediately went to the front of the ship and started explaining the control panel to Vegeta. He showed the Saiya-jin how to set the destination for dimension as well as exact time.

"We could set this to arrive before the king," Vegeta said suddenly, "We could even go back and make sure none of this ever happens."

"No," Piccolo interrupted, "You've seen for yourself what happens when you try to change the past."

"Besides even if you could," Dr Briefs added, "I wouldn't recommend it in this particular time machine."

Vegeta grudgingly conceded both points with a grunt, "What about the molecular gun?" he asked, "I need to reconfigure it the other dimension."

"Already done," his father-in-law told him, "But remember you've only got one shot so make it count."

"Let's just get this done," Vegeta said.

"Who'll go?" Trunks asked.

"Myself, Kakarot and his twin," Vegeta said promptly knowing what was coming next.

"I want to come to," Trunks replied.

"And me," Gohan added.

"No, damn it," Vegeta snapped, "No more lives will be risked than absolutely necessary. Kakarot can handle the king by himself."

"What about the other Saiya-jins?" Gohan challenged.

"We won't be there long enough for them to be a problem," Vegeta countered.

"Something could go wrong, Vegeta," Goku pointed out, siding with his son.

"Kakarot," Vegeta growled in warning.

"I agree," Mirai Goku chipped in, "It leaves one more space for Ranorik."

"Ranorik?" Vegeta spat, "Who gives a shit about him?"

"The king will," Mirai Goku pointed out, "He'd do a lot to be able to get his hands on his traitorous advisor."

Vegeta goggled at Goku's counterpart and he wasn't the only one.

"Must not have hit the ground as hard," Piccolo murmured referring to Goku's childhood accident.

"Alright," Vegeta agreed grudgingly, "The advisor comes too but you two stay here," he told Trunks and Gohan.

"But-" both half Saiya-jins started simultaneously.

"They can come," Goku interrupted.

Vegeta clenched his hands into fists, "Kakarot-" he started.

"We've come too far to make stupid mistakes, Vegeta," Goku interrupted, "There's too much that could go wrong."

"I agree," Gohan added promptly.

"Me too," Trunks said.

"Looks like you're outnumbered," Piccolo put in with a smirk.

Vegeta shook his head in frustration, "You cannot outnumber me, I am the prince of all Saiya-jins," he snapped, "Trunks I am your father, I forbid you to go," he added.

"All the more reason for me to come," Trunks countered cheekily.

The Saiya-jin prince slammed his palms to his temples, "Enough," he growled, "Do what you like. I'm going to get my body back."

Vegeta settled himself into one of the two front chairs, he looked at Gohan over his shoulder, "If you're coming you may as well be co-pilot," he told him not relishing the thought of either of the Gokus getting their hands on the control panel.

"I'll fetch Ranorik," Mirai Goku volunteered as the other took their seats. Goku chose to sit behind his son while Trunks took the seat behind his father. Mirai Goku returned and strapped the senseless advisor into the chair behind the lavender haired teenager leaving the seat behind his counterpart for himself.

Piccolo walked toward the ramp, paused once in the hatch, "Good luck," he said to them before exiting the time machine.

"We could use it," Gohan muttered as Vegeta raised the ramp, effectively sealing the interior.

Goku looked curiously around at the interior before grinning, "Don't worry, Gohan. Only a genius could make something that looks this bad but still works," he told his son.

A low rumble echoed through the air and the ship began to vibrate very gently as the time machine came to life. Simultaneously the occupants, save Ranorik, clipped their seatbelts into place.

Outside, through the side windows the other Z senshi and Mr and Mrs Briefs gathered a safe distance from the inter-dimensional time machine. Vegeta glanced at them then paused in his task of entering their destination into the computer.

"Where's your sister?" he asked Trunks.

"Sleeping," his son replied, "We'll be back before she wakes up," he added.

Vegeta nodded slightly as he finished entering the time and dimension into the destination drive. As the prince completed a final system check a covered red lever in front of Gohan labelled 'Launch' began to flash red. The half Saiya-jin looked at it then up at Vegeta who cocked his head to one side.

The prince turned a dial on his side of the panel and the Perspex cover slid back, "Well?" he said.

Gohan nodded in understanding and reached out tentatively for the lever, "Ready?" he asked quietly.

The others nodded save Vegeta who gave a grim smile. Gohan took a deep breath and pushed the lever.

* * *

As he awoke Gohan wondered guiltily if he'd pushed the wrong lever. Like the self-destruct.

The interior lights were out as were all the lights on the control panel. By the light coming in the side windows Gohan could see Vegeta across from him making cross-eyed attempts to undo his seatbelt. The demi Saiya-jin shut his eyes briefly against his own dizziness and rising nausea.

A crash and a curse in a language he didn't recognize prompted him to open them again and he almost laughed when he saw what looked to him like Vegeta sitting on the ceiling of the craft. It then that the Gohan realized they were upside down.

_That would explain the lack of lights_, he thought. They'd obviously crashed.

Another yelp and crash from the back of the time machine signalled someone else had discovered this as well.

Gohan undid his own seatbelt but, having expected it, managed to control his descent better than Vegeta. He landed lightly on hands and knees on the less than smooth ceiling of their impromptu time machine.

He looked at Vegeta, who looked murderous, "You okay?"

The prince glared at him, "There'd better not be any long term side effects from all this," he muttered climbing to his feet, "Trunks?" he called into the dim back area of the craft.

"I'm okay," came the teenager's voice.

"Dad?" Gohan called as Vegeta tried to find the ramp controls on the inverted panel.

"Are we upside down?" Goku's voice came sounding slightly woozy.

"Yes."

"Ah, that explains it." A click and a light bump indicated he'd successfully extracted himself from his seat.

"Ranorik's still out," Mirai Goku called from the dark, "I don't suppose this thing is fixable?"

"How would I know?" Vegeta snapped as he gave up on the ruined control panel. Powering up he dug both hands into the metal of the ship's side and with a small burst of Ki blew a hole through it.

The prince leapt lightly to the ground and immediately scanned the area for any threats. The others followed quickly; Mirai Goku with Ranorik slung over one shoulder.

"Guess we're going home another way," Goku muttered.

Gohan and Trunks were looking curiously at their surroundings, "It doesn't look much different from Earth," the latter commented.

"Planets vary little generally," Gohan told him, "If the atmosphere's the same pretty much everything will be as well. Except for species of course."

"And minerals," Vegeta added absently scanning the horizon, "Were the hell did that damn machine dump us?"

"We're not far from the Amon mines," Mirai Goku told him, "I've been there before."

"What for?" Goku wanted to know.

His counterpart gave him an odd look, "Part of my sentence," he said succinctly.

"Other than execution?" Goku muttered darkly.

"Moving along," Vegeta said pointedly, "If we're near the Amon mines the compound must be that way," he pointed to their left, "North."

"What's the plan?" Gohan asked.

Vegeta gave him a blank look, "Find the king and shoot him with-" he stopped suddenly. Gohan seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

"The gun!" they said simultaneously.

Vegeta leapt nimbly back into the ruined time machine followed by Gohan. The others could hear then rooting around inside for a few moments then the half Saiya-jin reappeared carrying the molecular weapon.

"Is it damaged?" Trunks asked.

"I don't think so," Gohan said jumping lightly to the ground. Vegeta reappeared from the ship a moment later and checked the gun over.

"It's fine, I think," he said, "Power's still up."

"You really want to go barging into the palace?" Goku asked suddenly, "Shouldn't we find a replacement time machine."

"Of course," Vegeta said with a sly grin, "Gohan and Trunks can do that."

"But-," both half Saiya-jins started.

"I won't tolerate any argument this time," Vegeta added evenly. His voice harboured a strange undertone that made even Goku nod in agreement.

"All we need to do is get close enough to the king to shoot him," Mirai Goku said, "Once we've switch him back with Vegeta we'll have two SSj3s on our side. What could go wrong?"

"I wish you hadn't said that," Goku sighed.

* * *

R&R please, although I'll understand if you don't....:(


	10. Chap 10

HUGE apologies for the massive delay, I'm sure some of you thought I was dead! I was actually just having problems with my modem so I couldn't connect. But I'm back now and here is chapter ten. Enjoy!

* * *

The four Saiya-jins infiltrated the compound the same way Vegeta and Goku had the previous night. Once in the water-cooling system room Vegeta told Trunks and Gohan where Ranorik's lab was.

"Do we need a key card to get in?" Gohan asked.

"We used Ranorik's last time," Goku remembered.

Vegeta shrugged, shouldering the molecular weapon, "Just smash the door in," he said, "As quietly as possible," he added.

As they left the other three Saiya-jin, along with the comatose Ranorik, made their way in the opposite direction.

"I think I can sense the king," Goku said suddenly.

"I know. He's in the throne room," Vegeta replied then paused as they came to the end of the hall, "Top floor," he said flying up the middle of the spiral staircase. The two Goku's followed quickly.

"Won't they sense us?" Mirai Goku asked as they flew.

"I doubt they know how," Goku assured him, "At least not from here. It's a learned technique."

Vegeta proved his point by landing one floor down from the top and walking the last flight of stairs up. Goku and Mirai followed suit also suppressing their Ki.

The Saiya-jin prince stopped just before reaching the hallway that lead to the double doors of the throne room and peered cautiously around the corner. As he drew back Goku sneaked a peek too.

"Two guards," he reported to his counterpart.

"We can't get rid of them without announcing our presence," Mirai Goku said unnecessarily.

"We're practically there already," Vegeta said impatiently

"Not if you want to get a good shot off," Goku pointed out, "You've only got one shot, remember?"

Vegeta gave a non-committal grunt, "Got any ideas genius?" he asked Mirai Goku sarcastically.

"Just walk right in," the other Goku said. Then as they gave him incredulous looks he went on, "It'll be the last thing he'll expect. I'll take the gun and wait until the opportune moment."

Vegeta gave a snort, "Nice plan but I don't entirely trust you," he said frankly.

"And I don't blame you," Mirai Goku said without rancour, "What's your plan?" he added with a slight smirk.

Vegeta glared at him but said nothing.

"I could take the gun and wait for the opportune moment," Goku offered.

Vegeta gave an irritated sigh, "And what if the king gets nasty?" he asked rhetorically.

"Oh," Goku said, disappointed.

Silence stretched between the three Saiya-jins, tensions rising as the seconds wore on.

"Alright," Vegeta agreed reluctantly, "We'll go with your plan. Just leave Ranorik here," he said to Mirai Goku.

"Betray us again and I'll kick your ass," Goku said succinctly still smiling.

The other two Saiya-jins looked at him in surprise. Vegeta gave a ghost of a smile then handed the gun to Mirai Goku; "Be ready," he ordered then looked at Goku.

"Wait here for a second," Vegeta told him, "Then use your Instant Transmission to join me."

Goku knew better than to ask why, he nodded.

Vegeta gave an ironic smile then stepped into the hallway and strode toward the throne room. Even as he approached he could see the guards muttering in confusion to each other.

The Saiya-jin prince stopped a metre from them and fixed them with a challenging glare then raised an eyebrow.

"Sire?" the one guard asked his voice a squeak of fear.

Vegeta smirked, "Kakarot," he said evenly.

"Huh?" the second guard said then wheeled backward in fright as a much taller orange clad figure appeared in front of him, seemingly out of thin air. Before he could even begin to shout a warning he'd sunk into the blissful blackness of unconsciousness.

Vegeta had taken advantage of the first guards surprise to afford him the same courtesy with perhaps just a touch less compassion.

"Knock, knock," the Saiya-jin prince said before kicking the double doors to splinters.

Needless to say the king showed considerable surprise at the presence of his counterpart. He leapt to his feet from the throne he'd been sitting in moment before, "Impossible!" he spat.

"Nothing's impossible," Vegeta said with a smirk. He glanced at the guards on either side of the throne as they started forward then stopped abruptly as both Goku and the prince powered up. They knew enough to know they were no match for them.

The king didn't seem as intimidated, he laughed, "You're persistent," he conceded stepping down from the dais. He waved a hand at the two guards, dismissing them, "But if you think I'll give this body up now you'd be wrong. I've never been more revered."

Vegeta snorted, "You're not revered, your people don't respect you," he said then paused in thought and added, "Saiya-jins kings have always ruled through fear."

The king laughed, "Fear, respect, what does it matter? If you could be the strongest being in the universe what would you care for respect?" he challenged.

Vegeta shook his head slowly, "Ignorant fool," he murmured then raising his voice, "You want that power of mine so badly? Then you'll have to fight for it."

"I plan to," the king hissed powering up to SSJ.

"Vegeta?" Goku started then stopped as the Saiya-jin prince matched his counterpart's power level and charged.

"Damn it!" the younger Saiya-jin exclaimed uncharacteristically before shooting forward to help.

Before he could intervene however, the king powered up even further to SSJ 2 and collided with the charging Vegeta. Goku winced at the impact but continued his charge, knowing he would be needed.

Sure enough Vegeta came flying backward from the king's assault but before Goku could even think to catch him he recovered and shot forward again.

"Vegeta!" Goku tried again but the Saiya-jin prince ignored him. The impact this time was just as impressive but Vegeta went flying sideways instead of backward. His collision sent through the wall of the throne room and the prince disappeared in cloud of dust and pile of rubble.

This time, when Goku cursed, he included both the Saiya-jin prince and king. The younger Saiya-jin continued forward and seeing the king powered up to SSJ 3, matched it before attacking him. The king pulled up with a grimace as Goku got between him and Vegeta.

The two SSJ 3s grappled with one another in a flurry faster than the average eye could see. Mostly Goku avoided laying punches and concentrated on trying to pin his opponent. The king seemed to realize this and avoided his grasp deftly; Goku just hoped his counterpart would be ready when the opportune moment did appear.

* * *

Vegeta opened his eyes with a glare. Since there was no one around to glare at, he just glared in general. Raising his head a fraction and looking around he could his counterpart had managed to send him through quite a few walls to eventually fetch up in a area Vegeta recognized as one of the many training rooms of the compound. This particular one was deserted but as Vegeta hauled himself to his feet itquickly filled with half a dozen guards attracted by the commotion.

A few of them did a double take at seeming likeness to their king but one turned and said to the others, "It's the impostor!"

Vegeta gave a swift frown and then smirked, "What has your king been telling you now?" he wondered out loud.

The leader of the guards mirrored his smirk, "Get him," he told the other guards.

Five of the six Saiya-jins powered up and charged but the Saiya-jin prince gave a terrifying grin and with no effort whatsoever went SSJ. Whether theywould have fought nonetheless or turned tail and run, was a moot point as Vegeta took the decision out of their hands andspent the next minuterelieving his frustration on them.

The Saiya-jin prince was surprised and impressed to find their leader had not run as his men were pummelled. As Vegeta stepped over the prostrate form of the last guard and approached, the leader shifted slightly but apart from looking a bit pale his face remained hard as stone. He narrowed his at the light emanating from Vegeta's SSJ aura.

The Saiya-jin prince gave him a curious look, "Aren't you afraid?" he demanded.

The guard wondered if this were a test and decided to answer truthfully, "Yes," he said softly.

"Smart," Vegeta said. He fixed the other Saiya-jin with an imposing stare, "Do you know who I am?"

The guard met the prince's gaze and his eyes widened slightly, "You're the king!"

"That's right," Vegeta said looking pleased, "I am the king."

* * *

Gohan looked up at the ceiling of Ranorik's lab then exchanged a knowing look with Trunks.

"Wow," the teenaged half Saiya-jin commented, "I guess that means my dad hasn't switched back yet."

Gohan nodded in agreement as the compound shook again, "Think we should go help, that's bound to attract attention."

Trunks nodded, "We found what we came for," he agreed looking up at the time machine they'd found.

Gohan also glanced at it uncertainly, "Does it look finished to you?" he asked.

The other Saiya-jin shrugged, "Can't be worse than that contraption we got here in," he reasoned heading for the door.

* * *

As Goku avoided an attack from the king he tried, for the umpteenth time, to get a grip on him. Having reduced much of the throne room to rubble Goku was not surprised when they were joined by a few dozen guards. The guards looked at a loss at what to do as the two high powered warriors fought in the air above them. Out of range and grossly outmatched the guards could do naught but watch.

Abruptly the two fighters broke apart and paused for breath. Both were breathing heavily but, as closely matched as they were, neither had a mark on them. Goku watched his opponent closely as they circled each other midair. Suddenly the kings eyes flickered to the side and down and a frown graced his face. Goku resisted the urge to look but when the king smiled a slow, malicious grin he gave up looked over his shoulder.

What he saw surprised but worse, dismayed him. A guard, clearly holding a higher rank then the others had entered the throne room. Over his shoulder was slung the molecular weapon and just behind his right shoulder stood Mirai Goku. The counterpart did not look overly perturbed which was only worse as it told Goku that he'd betrayed them. Again.

Goku's face hardened in displeasure as the king floated downward to greet the newcomers.

"Excellent work," Mirai Vegeta said walking up to the guard. Goku also returned to the ground but was surprised to see the guard continue to stare at the king, his face impassive. The king also noticed and paused.

"Nothing to say?" he asked in mock syrupiness.

The guard shrugged, "What should I say?"

"You could bow down before your king!" Mirai Vegeta roared aura flaring.

"As you wish," the guard said. Then, to everyone's surprise, stepped around the king and knelt with his head bowed.

The king swivelled slowly and stared down at the guard then up at Goku who was looking even more flummoxed than anyone else. Then Mirai Vegeta did a classic double take and glared over Goku's shoulder instead.

"No!" he ground out.

Goku followed the king's gaze then raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Vegeta?" he said.

The prince of all Saiya-jins stood from the miraculously unscathed throne, letting his Ki rise from its undetectable level, "King Vegeta," he corrected with a smirk.

"I am king here!" Mirai Vegeta shouted in fury.

"You are not fit to govern a tea party," Vegeta told him flatly coming to stand next to Goku.

Mirai Vegeta's face went an unhealthy purple colour in his outrage, "I will kill you," he spat. He glared down at the kneeling guard, "Traitor," he accused.

The guard stood, "I'm sorry were you talking about me or about yourself?" he asked rhetorically then added, "Do you even know who I am?"

"What would I care for some low level soldier?"

The guard's face turned stony, "I am the commander-in-chief of your armies," he said, "My name is Barick."

The king looked blank then he frowned, "Oh yes," he muttered, "What's your point?"

"How long has it been since you lost touch with your people? How long since they lost respect for you?" Barick spat.

The king laughed, "Do you want to die?"

"If my king wants me dead he need only ask," Barick said, "But you are not my king nor have you ever been. I understand that now."

Mirai Vegeta screamed in fury as he powered up. Barick backed away involuntarily against the wind and heat created by the SSJ 3.

"What are you waiting for?" Vegeta murmured out the corner of his mouth as Barick held the kings full attention.

Goku looked at him, "What?" he started then seeing the direction of Vegeta's pointed look went "Oh, right."

By the time Mirai Vegeta realized Goku was sneaking up on him it was too late. At the last second Goku powered up to match the kings level and pinned his arms to his sides effectively. The king struggled with a hiss of rage but Goku clung on grimly.

Vegeta turned to Barick, "Now, shoot him now," he told him.

The commander nodded and taking a few more steps back raised the gun and took careful aim. With a grim smile he pulled the trigger.

"NO!" the king screamed and twisted his body violently. Goku, taken by surprise by the ferocity of the action, was jerked aside directly into the line of fire. Time seemed to slow.

A dozen thoughts ran through Vegeta mind in the space of a split second. One was that Kakarot was a complete idiot but the most important being that they only had one shot. Before he had time to think any further his body acted instinctively and he leapt in front of Goku.

* * *

Thanks for reading. :)


	11. Chap 11

Sorry the update is so long in coming, I've been extremely busy with work and this story has been giving me trouble. I feel bad about the cliffy, I think I may have lost a few readers through that, oopsie :p

Oh yes, someone pointed out that calling the other Goku and Vegeta _Mirai_ wasn't entirely proper. I know it means future but I thought it would help to lessen confusion. And Mirai Vegeta sounds better than Parallel Universe Vegeta.

* * *

Vegeta awoke to the disturbing feeling of being two people at once and a heavy feeling on his chest as though someone were sitting on him. Two blurry figures leaned over him.

"Vegeta?" one said.

Vegeta frowned.

"Dad?" the other said, sounding worried.

_What the hell_? Vegeta thought.

"Think it's him?" the first figure asked the second.

"He looks confused," came the reply.

Another blurry figure entered his line of sight. Vegeta tried to focus on it.

"Is he okay?" the third figure.

One of the figures made a shrugging movement, "How's the other one?"

"Out cold," the newcomer said.

_Other one?_ Vegeta wondered. Something tugged at memory. He rolled his head to one side and blinked to clear his head and his eyes.

Vegeta's attention snapped back to those hovering over him as his brain threw up name, "Goku?" the word sounded alien on his tongue.

The reaction wasn't what he'd expected.

"Holy cow! Dad, Vegeta-san just called you Goku," the third figure said in disbelief.

"Do you think it's brain damage?" the second figure asked.

Vegeta looked at the source of the voice, "Trunks?" he said.

"Yes?"

"That's Kakarot's department," Vegeta looked at the third figure as memories flooded back into his mind. _Gohan_, he identified to himself. He sat up and looked around. The Saiya-jin guards had since disappeared but Barick, who had probably dismissed them, still hovered close to the doorway looking uncertain. Beyond Goku and Trunks he could see Mirai Goku peering regretfully at a figure dressed in his clothes lying on the floor. The king.

Vegeta looked at his own clothes and found he was dressed in Royal armour once more, the blue medallion of office around his neck. He looked up as a hand appeared in his line of sight.

"Good to be back?" Goku asked as the Saiya-jin prince permitted the younger Saiya-jin to pull him to his feet.

Vegeta nodded, "I could do without the outfit," he said wryly.

"How'd you know that would work?" Gohan asked, "If we'd known it would we could have saved a whole lot of time."

Vegeta gave him a sardonic look, "I didn't," he said.

"You shouldn't have done that," an unsteady voice came from the splintered doorway. As one the Saiya-jins, save the unconscious king, turned and saw Ranorik looking pale leaning heavily on a hunk on broken masonry.

"Counsellor?" Barick looked surprised.

Vegeta gave a vicious grin, "Oh good, just in time for your comeuppance," he said.

"Shouldn't have done what?" Trunks wanted to know.

"Switched that way," Ranorik explained walking into the room but giving Vegeta a wide berth.

"Why?" Gohan asked suspiciously.

Ranorik paused, "It's a bit difficult to explain," he said. He appeared to think about it, "Imagine a circle and on the top and bottom are the two people being switched," he started.

His audience nodded, wondering where this was going.

"The top person is shot with the molecular gun goes down the right side of the circle and the bottom person goes down the left so they end up where the other one used to be, right?" the advisor went on, "The switch is now complete. But if you want to switch them back you have to _reverse_ the process. You have to shoot the top person again, who is now actually the bottom person."

"I think I get it," Gohan said, "What if you shoot the bottom person?"

"You don't reverse the switch," Ranorik explained, "You complete the cycle."

"Meaning?" Vegeta growled.

"You may retained some of his memories and abilities," the advisor concluded pointing at the king, "And visa versa."

As one the other Saiya-jins looked at the king then at Vegeta. The Saiya-jin prince had gone very still, which was not a good sign.

"Can it be reversed?" Goku wanted to know.

Ranorik shook his head shooting nervous glances at Vegeta whose face was slowly twisting into a scowl, "I don't think so," he said, "All my work in this field has been experimental."

"Experimental?" Vegeta interrupted, "You used me as a guinea pig?"

"Um…ah," Ranorik gave a nervous laugh, "You see…" His protests trailed off in a stutter as Vegeta went SSJ 3 with a satisfied sneer.

"Vegeta!" Goku said sharply.

"Relax," Vegeta shot back as Ranorik keeled over in a dead faint, "I think the king over there will think of a much better punishment."

As if on cue King Vegeta stirred and sat up abruptly. His face mirrored his confusion and anger as he glanced around the throne room. As his eyes fell upon Vegeta however his face cleared as it became apparent to him what had happened. Barick gave his king a pitying look before backing up to stand against the wall.

The king noticed the scrutiny of the others and stood with as much dignity as he could muster. Vegeta gave a snort of disgust.

Goku gave the prince a sidelong look, "What do you want to do with him?" he asked.

Vegeta shook his head slowly, "Nothing," he said, "We're going home."

"Going home?" Goku sounded surprised, "We can't leave him as the king."

Vegeta gave him a critical look, "Why not?" he asked after a moment, "He is the king."

"But-," Goku started to say.

"Enough!" the prince snapped suddenly, "Kakarot, I've had it! I'm going home and I'm going to wish my wife back and we're going to forget about this dimension and everything that happened here. We do not belong here and their problems," he pointed to the three native Saiya-jins, "Are not ours to solve."

"They'll kill him," Goku indicated his counterpart, his voice hardening.

"Yes, as I would have killed you, Kakarot, had I been king and had this been our situation," Vegeta countered bluntly, "You think there aren't dimension were Raditz killed your son or Cell won the battle or Buu destroyed the universe?"

Goku frowned and looked down, "I know that but this is different," he said, "We know about this one, we've seen it. Besides, aren't you mad? You usually go off pot about these things."

Vegeta had to give a smirk at that, "Go figure," he said simply.

"What could you do anyway?" Mirai Goku wanted to know, "I'm prepared to accept my fate."

"What about your wife back on earth?" Goku demanded, turning to his counterpart, "You have a choice to go back to her."

"You're one to talk," Vegeta interrupted, "You've made choices like that before, Kakarot."

Goku grimaced slightly, "How did this become about me?" he wondered.

Gohan shuffled his feet, "Vegeta-san's right, dad," he said, "It's his choice."

Goku looked up abruptly at his son's tone. Gohan's voice harboured an emotion it took him a moment or two to identify. Resentment.

"Son-," he started but was interrupted by the king.

"I believe you were leaving," he said meaningfully.

Goku glared at him but before he could say or do anything Vegeta strode the distance between him and his counterpart. Before the king could even think to back up the Saiya-jin prince had him by the shirt front.

"We _are_ leaving," he told the king in a low growl, "But before we do I want to make one thing absolutely clear. You live because I choose to let you. If Kakarot's better half wishes to return to this dimension's Earth you will let him. You will disregard Earth. You will dismiss your counsellor and not appoint another. You follow the orders of your commander-in-chief, Barick. If you refuse I guarantee I'll have a change of heart."

"And once you leave I could do as I like," the king sneered. He clearly had a death wish.

Vegeta smirked and brought the king up closer to his face, "Thanks to your counsellor I now have the knowledge, expertise and time to make an inter-dimensional time machine at my disposal," he said then flung the king to the ground, "Think about that."

"You'd never bother to come back," the king countered, scrambling awkwardly to his feet.

"Perhaps," Vegeta agreed, "But he would." The prince pointed to Goku, who wore a stony expression. The king looked at him and blanched. It never failed to astound Vegeta how his rival could wear a seemingly bland expression yet convey his feelings with complete and inescapable clarity through his eyes.

The king growled audibly but his shoulders slumped slightly in defeat.

"What now?" Gohan asked.

"Going home," Goku answered even as Vegeta opened his mouth. The prince nodded once in agreement.

"I must thank you," Barick said quickly before they could make for the exit.

Vegeta gave him an even look, "You'll many choices to make from now on. The fate of this race could very well be in your hands," his expression hardened, "You had better make the right ones."

"I'll do my best," Barick assured him.

The Saiya-jin prince did not look comforted by this but, instead of commenting further, strode out of the throne room, leaving Barick with his thoughts. This was somehow crueller than harsh words.

"Don't doubt yourself," Gohan said as he passed the commander, "You'll do fine."

"I'd hate to disappoint," Barick admitted.

"That's what will make you strong," Goku told him. He clapped the new counsellor on the shoulder then looked at the king, "Your majesty," he added, by way of farewell. It was hard to tell whether he was mocking the other Saiya-jin or not. He looked at Mirai Goku.

"What will you do now?" he wondered.

His counterpart smiled, "I'm going home," he said simply, "To my friends and family. I have you to thank for that."

Goku shrugged, "All in a day's work," he joked with a grin, "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah," his counterpart nodded, "I may even stick around here for a while, see that things go according to plan." He glanced at the king, who was sitting dejectedly on his crumbling throne, as he said this.

Goku nodded in understanding as he and the two half Saiya-jins made their way after Vegeta. To their surprise, Vegeta hadn't gone far. They found him walking slowly along the corridor leading away from the throne room. Instead of striding he was what one might call mooching along the hallway.

"Hey Dad," Trunks called by way of greeting.

"You took your time," Vegeta snapped, but his tone sounded half-hearted.

"You okay, Vegeta?" Goku asked. The prince ignored him.

"Did you find a time machine?" he asked Gohan instead.

"Yeah," the half Saiyan-jin confirmed.

"Good," Vegeta said shortly.

"You sure you want to go home so soon? I mean, this is your home right?" Goku questioned, "Don't you miss it?"

Vegeta paused and fixed his greatest rival with a hard stare, "No," he said acidly, "I don't miss it! I wish I did but I don't."

Goku scratched the back of his head in confusion as Vegeta continued down the hall.

"But-" he started to protest but the prince sighed and cut him off. He'd been expecting this.

"You're wrong, Kakarot," he said, sounding as though the words themselves caused him pain, "This isn't my home. Earth is my home. I know now….I know now…" he paused, "I was never meant to be king."

* * *

Thanks for reading, I hope to update sooner than last time :)


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